Globs of oil have started washing up on Dutch beaches

Oil balls washed up on several beaches on the North Sea in the Netherlands. According to a spokeswoman for the public works department, Rijkswaterstaat, it concerns small balls of oil on beaches near Noordwijk, Zandvoort, and Bloemendaal.

The Coast Guard tried to trace the origin of the oil on Monday afternoon but was unsuccessful. A police helicopter looked for an oil trail in the North Sea but found nothing due to the strong wind. Because stormy weather is also forecast for the coming days, there is little chance that the cause will be found quickly.

It's not a great deal of oil clumps, said RIjkswaterstaat. The municipalities themselves are responsible for cleaning up the beaches.

Oil balls were also found on Belgian beaches, so far more than in the Netherlands. The Belgian authorities are also investigating the cause. According to the Belgians, it could be old oil from a shipwreck in the North Sea wrenched loose by storm Corrie. But there could also be other causes.