Thousands of plastic nurdles washed up on beaches stretching the eastern coasts of England are being vacuumed up after being washed ashore following a tanker collision in the North Sea. Workmen wielding vacuum cleaners are collecting the tiny plastic pellets that have come from the crash between the Stena Immaculate and the cargo ship Solong which collided off East Yorkshire on March 10.

However nurdles are still be found along the Norfolk coast and the National Trust have said they remain “deeply concerned” over the impact to wildlife. The Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk has now employed a waste management contractor to clean up the beaches using a specialist vacuum device. Nurdles are non-toxic balls of plastic resin used in plastics production which can cause harm to wildlife if ingested.

The council said the vacuum would operate along Brancaster, Titchwell and Holme to Old Hunstanton in Norfolk all week.

Borough Councillor Sandra Squire said: “Our cleanup teams have done an incredible job removing some of the bigger burnt nurdle masses but this machine should help as we move to the next phase of our beach cleanup of this pollution.

“I would like to remind our residents that, although nurdles are not toxic, they can present a risk to wildlife if ingested.”

Victoria Egan, general manager for the National Trust, added: “We remain deeply concerned about the long-term impact of this plastic pollution on the Norfolk coast and its wildlife, which could continue to be washed up for weeks and months to come.

“Any pollution incident can have a devastating impact on wildlife and this is a vital time for many migratory birds as they return to our shores for the breeding season, as well as marine life including seals and fish.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) is investigating the cause of the crash.

Calum Duncan, head of policy and advocacy at the Marine Conservation Society, said: “We're deeply concerned about nurdles washing up along the Wash, a vital internationally important protected area for birds like waders, wildfowl, gulls and terns.”

He said the pellets posed “a significant threat to marine life”, adding: “Fish and seabirds could mistake them for food, leading to starvation and serious health issues.”

The Wash, where pellets have been spotted, is a large inlet of the North Sea which stretches from just south of Skegness, in Lincolnshire, to a point near Hunstanton, in Norfolk.

In a joint statement, Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust and Norfolk Wildlife Trust said they were “very concerned” about the pollution.

“Unfortunately, the risks posed by nurdles increase when other pollutants become stuck to them,” Tammy Smalley, of the Lincolnshire trust, said.

“We urge members of the public to report nurdle sightings but to avoid touching them as they may have toxic pollutants stuck to them.”

The Stena Immaculate and cargo ship Solong collision triggered a giant explosion and huge fires with Filipino crew member Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, losing his life as 36 other seamen were rescued.

Vladimir Motin, captain of the Solong, has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter over the crash.