Hoovering up plastic waste from beaches

AN INDUSTRIAL vacuum cleaner is being used to guzzle up plastic nurdles that are washing up on beaches following a collision between a tanker and cargo ship in March.

- By Paul Jeeves

The pellets, which harm wildlife if ingested, are littering a stretch of Britain's East Coast.

Workmen have been hired to remove them but there are warnings they could continue to wash ashore for months to come.

The balls of resin used in plastics production were released during the crash between the Stena Immaculate and cargo ship Solong off East Yorkshire on March 10.