North Sea crash oil tanker to be towed to Great Yarmouth

Following the crash, thousands of tiny plastic pellets used in plastics production, known as nurdles, were released from ruptured containers on the Solong and have been found washed up on the Lincolnshire and Norfolk coast.

According to conservationists, nurdles are not toxic but can harm animals if ingested.

Chief coastguard Paddy O'Callaghan said a clean-up operation of the plastic resin balls had been "moved from a proactive to reactive response".

He said HM Coastguard would "keep the overall situation under close review".

As of 1 April, about 11 tonnes of nurdles had been cleared from Lincolnshire's beaches, officials said.

On Wednesday, Kings Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council said its clean-up operation was being scaled back after "790,000 individual plastic nurdles and additional burnt fused nurdle mats" had been recovered from its beaches.

Victoria Egan, the National Trust's general manager for the Norfolk Coast, said the trust's rangers would be carrying out surveys to "determine the extent of the pollution".

"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," she said.