Oil clean-up begins on beach

A clean-up operation has begun after a mysterious oil was found washed up on 12 miles of north Wales coastline.

Yellow and white globules of what is believed to be vegetable oil were discovered between Carmel Point and Point Lynas on Anglesey on Saturday, affecting bathing beaches.

This is an exceptionally busy shipping area and it may be difficult to identify the offender

Kevin Colcomb, Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Anglesey County Council has launched the operation while samples of the substance are taken to coastguard laboratories in Edinburgh for chemical analysis.

The clean-up, which began at lunchtime on Sunday at Cemaes Bay, will see council contractors use shovels to clear a 30cm-wide band of pollution from the beach, the worst affected area.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the oil did not pose a health threat to humans or wildlife and should be cleaned up in 36 hours.

Cemaes Beach had been shut to the public, but re-opened on Sunday afternoon. Meanwhile, other beaches are being assessed.

Workers have collected over 100 bags of the substance, which had solidified, and people have begun to return to the beach.

One of the workers said it had started to come ashore on Thursday.

'Nuisance pollution'

Kevin Colcomb, a scientist with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, said: "The MCA, the Environment Agency and the local authority are working together to ensure that the impact on local people is kept to a minimum and signs are erected on beaches to warn people of the pollution.

"The pollution is more of a nuisance that an toxic problem and will be inconvenient to those wishing to use amenity beaches within the next 24 to 36 hours."

Coastguards from Holyhead said the oil hit beaches

The origin of the spill remains a mystery, however, and an investigation has begun to trace the source.

Mr Colcomb added: "The MCA will be considering traffic routing and cargo along this stretch of coastline.

"However, this is an exceptionally busy shipping area and it may be difficult to identify the offender."

'Impacted heavily'

Holyhead coastguards who found the oil on Saturday morning said the extent of the spill was "substantial."

They were joined by crews from Moelfre, Penmon and Cemaes, as well as the Moelfre Inshore Lifeboat.

Coastguard David North said: "Within one bay of the coastline there's between five and five-and-a-half tonnes of this oily substance.

"We wouldn't advise going on the beach at the moment because of the amount of this stuff laying about.

"The oil has impacted quite heavily on bathing beaches."

Coastguards are confident they can identify the source of the oil when test results are returned in the next few days.

Anglesey council chairman John Williams, who lives in Cemaes, said he did not beleive the incident would affect tourism in the area.