Ball-shaped debris washes up at Sydney’s Bondi, Coogee, Maroubra and Cronulla beaches
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Penny Sharpe says ‘mystery’ debris sent for testing and beaches not closed as there were so few balls. More ball-shaped debris has washed ashore at Sydney’s Bondi, Coogee, Maroubra and Cronulla beaches, the New South Wales government has confirmed.
![[Unidentified ball-shaped debris found washed ashore at Manly beach]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/36d86d27f7b6e0f4e2a6fb95f422660047e70f30/0_0_4000_2668/master/4000.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
The office of the acting premier, Penny Sharpe, told Guardian Australia on Wednesday that “small numbers of balls” – some only pea-sized – had washed up on the four beaches in the past few days. These balls had been cleaned up and sent for testing and, as there were so few pieces, none of the beaches had been closed, Sharpe’s office said.
The Randwick, Sutherland and Waverley councils were contacted for comment. Dee Why and South Curl Curl beaches in Sydney’s north remained closed on Wednesday after marble-sized “grease balls” were discovered on nine beaches in the area on Tuesday.
The Northern Beaches council said it had reopened Queenscliff, Freshwater, North Curl Curl, North Steyne and North Narrabeen beaches on Wednesday morning. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email. Sydney’s beaches have been plagued by debris balls in recent months but the Environment Protection Authority (EPA), Sydney Water and the government maintain they cannot work out where they are coming from.
Addressing the media on Wednesday afternoon, Sharpe said the balls were a “mystery”. Sharpe confirmed an EPA investigation was ongoing, while the government had also been working with various agencies as to whether there had been “pollution events” – but none had been identified.
