Northern Spain on alert as plastic pellets from cargo spill wash up on beaches

Volunteers on a beach in Nigrán, Pontevedra, Spain, on Tuesday pick out tiny plastic pellets. Photograph: Lalo R Villar/AP

Officials in northern Spain have issued alerts after millions of tiny plastic pellets spilled by a cargo ship off Portugal last month washed up on beaches, raising fears of environmental damage and triggering a political row.

Spanish state prosecutors have also launched an investigation after receiving information suggesting the non-biodegradable pellets could be toxic.