BP workers are cleaning up tar balls tossed onto Alabama's Gulf Coast beaches by heavy surf from tropical system Lee.

Crews were on the beach at Gulf Shores on Wednesday using small fishing nets to scoop up sticky black globs off the sand.

They emptied the nets into big plastic bags and sealed them with tape for disposal.

City officials believe the tar balls are from last year's BP oil spill, and they were dredged up from the bottom by Tropical Storm Lee. They say tests will be performed by Auburn University to verify the source of the tar.

BP says it doesn't know whether the tar balls are from the spill, but it's also testing to determine whether the two are linked. Results could be back in a week.