March 20, 2018 4.25 pm This story is over 72 months old

Major clean-up of palm oil across miles of Lincolnshire coast

Huge rocks of palm oil have washed up on the shore.

Palm oil being collected from the beach. Photo: Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust

Patrols and clean ups are underway after rocks of palm oil washed up on the Lincolnshire coast. Warnings are in place.

As previously reported councils and coastal groups warned dog owners to be on the lookout for palm oil as the waxy white rocks of congealed oil can be fatal to the animal.

A spokesman for East Lindsey District Council said a patrol and survey was done at Mablethorpe beach on Tuesday morning and over the next few days.

Palm oil is used in products including foods, soap and biofuels.

Any spillages in the ocean can congeal to form solid rocks.

People are advised not to pick up or move anything and to keep dogs on leads as it is toxic to them.

A lump of palm oil. Photo: Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust

North East Lincolnshire Council also recently collected lumps on Cleethorpes beach mechanically with a beach a rake and by hand with litter pickers, disposing of it in an environmentally friendly manner with the general waste at the incinerator.

The lumps are washing up on the high tide line along with other debris all across the coastline to Mablethorpe/Theddlethorp.

Wardens from the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust recently collected lumps of palm oil from the beach at Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe Dunes Nature Reserve for safe disposal.

Palm oil found at Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe Dunes National Nature Reserve. Photo: Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust

During the last two years the European Maritime Safety Agency identified seven large spills in British waters.

Two of these were in the southern part of the North Sea and left oil slicks extending more than 44 miles – according to documents obtained by the Telegraph from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) under Freedom of Information Laws.

Ships often clean their tanks after delivering the substance and are allowed to dump a limited amount of the contaminated residue at sea, provided do so more than 12 miles from the shore.

This could be a contributing factor, although the cause of the local issue is still being determined.