Manly and Dee Why beaches are among nine closed across the northern beaches after the discovery of mysterious ball-shaped debris.
Northern Beaches Council was notified on Tuesday by the NSW Environment Protection Authority that the balls had washed up across the coast.
Nine beaches from Manly to North Narrabeen have been closed due to potentially hazardous ball-shaped debris found washed up along shores.Credit: James Brickwood
Manly, Dee Why, Long Reef, Queenscliff, Freshwater, North and South Curl Curl, North Steyne and North Narrabeen have since been closed.
“Council was alerted to the debris via the EPA and is working closely with the state agency to collect samples for testing,” a statement from the council said.
“So far, most samples identified are marble-sized, with a few larger in size. The council is organising the safe removal of the matter and is inspecting other beaches.”
It comes after thousands of similar balls were found across Sydney’s eastern suburbs last year, shutting down beaches including Coogee and Bondi.
After extensive testing, those objects were found to be made of a combination of fatty acids, petroleum hydrocarbons (likely to be shipping fuel), hair, food waste and other materials associated with wastewater.
The balls found in the eastern suburbs were black, while the balls found in the northern beaches are white and grey, the council said.
Read the full article here
