Faeces and bacteria found in mystery balls on beaches

Those amazing balls forced the closure of several beaches in Sydney last week tested positive for saturated fatty acids, E. coli and faecal bacteria, authorities say.

Sydney’s Northern Beaches council said it had sent the waste to the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (EPA) for review.

Nine beaches, including the popular Manly and Dee Why beaches, were closed on 14 January after the marble-coloured balls started washing up.

It comes months after thousands of black people appeared on the city’s beaches in October, prompting authorities to close its popular beaches for several days and order a major clean-up.

Recent footballs have washed up on beaches this week, Northern Beaches council said in a statement on Tuesday.

It urged anyone who saw the balls not to touch them and to contact authorities.

In addition to acids and bacteria, the balls also contained volcanic rocks.

Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins said she hoped the EPA investigation would “identify the source to prevent this from happening on other beaches”.

“We continue to visit our beaches regularly and encourage the community to report any sightings,” he said.

The first batch of litter in October At first they were mistakenly called “balls of tar” but later they were found to contain everything from cooking oil and soap scum molecules, blood pressure medication, pesticides, hair, methamphetamine and veterinary medicine.

Scientists say they resemble oils, fats and perfumes – often called “fatbergs” – that are often produced in sewage.

But Sydney Water said its water treatment plans were working well and there were no known problems with waste in the city.