Nurdles and Plastic Pellets
Information about the plastic pellets or "Nurdles" that are washing up on beaches as a result of the ship collision on 10th March 2025
Our response continues as a result of plastics pellets, known as nurdles, being washed up on many of Lincolnshire's beaches.
This information was first reported to authorities around 6.30pm on Tuesday 18 March, because of the collision between two vessels on the east coast on Monday 10 March and involved sightings of the pellets and clumps of meted pellets south of Skegness pier and into Gibraltar point nature reserve. The issue of this debris washing up has since become more widespread but still more concentrated in the southern area of our coastline.
The Environment Agency has advised that these nurdles are not hazardous so the risk to the public is low, though there may be a smell from them, and pet owners, particularly dog walkers, are advised to keep animals away from them in case they are ingested.
If you see any of the pellets, or possible pollution along the coast or surrounding areas, please complete the form. Please note you will be redirected to the North Norfolk District Council website who are hosting the reporting for this incident.
If possible, please provide a 'What Three Words' location or a grid reference to assist our teams in identifying the exact location so we can co-ordinate collection.
Please note that collection will not be immediate as we are working across multiple locations and with beaches that are under separate land ownership to the either the district or county council.
Please do not pick them up because while they are not believed to be hazardous, they need to be contained to restrict the spread of them.
The ship which the plastics came from has now been towed away from the area therefore the risk of further plastic pollution directly from the ship has now been removed.
East Lindsey continues to work alongside other authorities and agencies to respond to this and continues to do so to log reports of these pellets Along our coast. Clean-up is already underway, and we are continuing to work with partners to deal with this issue.
More information can also be found on the MCA website:
Updates: Vessels incident off coast of East Yorkshire | HM Coastguard UK