Sydney beaches closed due to toxic 'tar balls'

sydney — 

Beaches successful Sydney including the iconic Bondi were closed to bathers connected Thursday aft hundreds of achromatic balls suspected to beryllium toxic washed up connected the city's shores.

Waverley Council said it had closed Bondi, Bronte and Tamarama beaches arsenic a precaution, portion neighboring Randwick Council has closed an further 4 beaches to the south. Bondi and Maroubra Beach to the southbound were aboriginal reopened.

"The wellbeing of our assemblage is paramount. That's wherefore Council has taken the precaution to adjacent our beaches," Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh said successful a statement.

Preliminary investigating by Randwick Council suggests the enigma items were "tar balls" – lumps of lipid and debris.

"We've got truthful galore pollutants successful the atmosphere, truthful galore pollutants connected the boats, truthful galore pollutants, plastic, it's going to travel to our beaches, it's everyplace other successful the satellite unfortunately," said Monica O'Connell, a nonmigratory of Coogee, 1 of the beaches closed by Randwick Council.

New South Wales state's Environment Protection Authority said it was conducting its ain tests, advising against swimming adjacent oregon touching immoderate of the balls.

Sydney is location to much than 100 beaches successful its harbor and on its oceanfront that are celebrated crossed the world, attracting millions of tourists and locals each year.