Oil on Gunton Warren Beach

Gunton Warren area

Crude oil has been exposed on North Denes beach in Lowestoft after a tanker collision more than 40 years ago. Some of it has been removed now, but something to be aware of even so. If you tread on it, or your dog, it can stick to your shoes or on the dog's feet and hair. It's not seen as being directly dangerous.  "For most people, brief contact with crude oil will do no harm...Some people are more sensitive to chemicals, including those found in crude oil. These people may develop a rash or skin irritation or have other allergic reactions."  

"A spokesperson for East Suffolk Council confirmed the exposure of the crude oil is from the Eleni V tanker spill in 1978.

"The giant oil tanker Eleni V was sailing in thick fog when she was struck by the French bulk carrier Roseline on May 6, 1978" (Lowestoft Journal Jan 7 2021)

The Eleni 4 disaster was a bit of a wake-up call about the different types of oil pollution. It was a fuel oil escape, and it doesn't disperse easily. 

"The total cost of the response operations was £2 million.

"This incident caused the authorities to realise that they were not prepared for heavy fuel oil spills, which are extremely difficult to respond to. Their means of dealing with the type of oil in question (dispersants, pumping device) were inadequate because of the viscosity of oil. The same incident with crude oil instead of heavy fuel oil would have been much easier to deal with. They also learnt of the importance of aerial surveillance with trained observers, which helped to forecast arrivals of oil slicks on the coast and hence to take adequate measures to avoid serious damage. Finally, they also had to cope with the problem of finding a place to send recovered oil and oiled debris." Report from Cedre  

Gunton Warren litter-picking

General littering is always a problem on beaches. Suffolk Wildlife Trust usually have a work party at Gunton Warren (North Beach) every other Monday, although not at the moment due to lockdown. They usually meet at about 9.30am and then work until midday, covering tasks including litter picking, cutting back paths, coppicing and burning gorse and other habitat management across the site. We will update when the working party starts again, and who to contact if you want to volunteer.