Country diary: We’re going on a nurdle hunt

‘Seabirds that wolf down nurdles (or fish that are full of nurdles) face starvation.’ Photograph: Alistair Leadbetter

My son spots the first one. It’s about the size of a lentil, and half-buried in the dry sand.

We’re on the beach at the seaside town of Whitley Bay. We’ve just walked past a clean-up crew of about 40 volunteers in hi-vis clothing and rubber gloves, kneeling or stooped over black buckets. This is the aftermath of the Tyne nurdle spill, which sounds much funnier than it is.