Last updated 11.3.25
As details continue to emerge, our thoughts are with everyone immediately involved in the accident and the emergency response operation. We will be watching carefully to assess the extent of the pollution into the North Sea and support our colleagues at Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust whose wildlife-rich coastline and shores are closest to the incident.
Kevin Hart, Director of Nature Conservation at Norfolk Wildlife Trust said:
"Any pollution incident could be potentially devastating for wildlife and depending on wind direction and contaminants, the Wash and North Norfolk coast, including NWT Holme Dunes nature reserve could be at risk. Our team along the coast will continue to monitor for any signs of pollution reaching Norfolk.
Hydrocarbon pollution reaching Norfolk’s shores could have significant damaging impacts on our wildlife and habitats. The North Norfolk coast is known for its beautiful beaches, saltmarshes, mudflats and tidal creeks. These contain a wealth of wildlife, at this time of year wading birds such as avocet, redshank and lapwing are starting to breed.
The Wash is the UK's most important estuary for wild birds, home to the largest common seal colony in England, and the intertidal sandbanks support important local fisheries. If harmful pollutants end up here the whole interlinked eco-system would be at risk.
In addition, the chalk reefs off the North Norfolk coast is home to a wide array of marine life, as well as crabs and lobsters there are many reef living fish. There are numerous marine invertebrates, some of which are unique to this rare habitat.
We'll continue to keep a close eye on the situation and work with marine authorities if needed.”
Wildlife and important nature areas that could be affected along the North Norfolk coast include:
The Wash – the UK's most important estuary for wild birds, including hundreds of thousands of migrant wading birds. The Wash is also home to the largest common seal colony in England. The intertidal sandbanks here support significant local fisheries and the whole area is important for tourism. The biodiversity of The Wash is recognised in national and international environmental designations including Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Area (SPA). For its enormous environmental, biodiversity and cultural values, The Wash has recently been added to a list of areas in consideration for UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
NWT Holme Dune Nature Reserve is located where The Wash meets the North Sea. Holme Dunes beach is important for ground-nesting birds such as little tern, ringed plover and oystercatcher, all of which depend on healthy marine ecosystems for their food. Many migratory birds such as Sandwich, common and little terns, Mediterranean gulls and diverse shorebirds are expected to arrive here and along the coast in the next few weeks.