Spain probes contamination of beaches after plastic pellets spilled from ship

Volunteers collect plastic pellets from a beach in Nigran, Pontevedra, Spain, on Tuesday (Lalo R Villar/AP)

Countless tiny plastic pellets are washing up on the shores of northern Spain and local authorities have declared an environmental emergency after a shipping container fell off a transport vessel last month.

The regional governments of Galicia, which has borne the brunt of the pollution, and neighbouring Asturias asked Spain’s national government to help, and on Monday prosecutors opened an investigation.