Water quality warnings are currently in place for five North East beaches as the political row over water pollution continues.

There has been growing public outrage in recent years at the volume of raw or partially treated sewage pumped into the UK’s rivers and coastal waters.

Environmental campaigner Feargal Sharkey said three decades of poorly regulated profiteering among water companies and a “vacuum of political oversight” had resulted in a state of “extraordinary chaos” for the UK's bathing waters.

And Labour leader Keir Starmer has accused the Government of having its head in the sand over the scale of sewage being pumped into British waterways.

Their comments come after comes after dozens of pollution warnings were issued for beaches and swimming spots in England and Wales following heavy rain that overwhelmed the sewage system.

Today (Monday, August 22) a handful of North East beaches currently have water quality warnings in force.

Surfers against Sewage have published a map showing the locations where warnings and alerts are in place.

The Northern Echo: Map published by Surfers against Sewage showing pollution warning locationsMap published by Surfers against Sewage showing pollution warning locations

It shows both Redcar Coatham and Redcar Lifeboat Station have a Pollution Alert in place as storm sewage has been discharged from a sewer overflow in the area within the past 48 hours.

Pollution alerts relating to sewer overflow discharge are also in place at Marske Sands and Saltburn.

And further north there is a Pollution Risk Warning on Marsden beach in South Shields where bathing is not advised today due to the likelihood of reduced water quality.

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Although no sewer overflows discharge directly onto the Marsden beach, the mouth of the River Tyne is just to the north and a number of sewer overflows discharge into it.

The news is yet another blow to the region's coastline which has been dogged with pollution fears following the mass crustacean deaths in October last year.

Speaking on the sewage issue, Kier Starmer blamed the Government for not doing enough to prevent water companies from discharging potentially harmful waste into the country's waterways.

He said: “I think there is huge anger about the sewage situation, because we’re seeing yet again sewage pumped into our rivers and into our seas.

The Northern Echo: A pollution warning is in place at two Redcar beaches Picture: Alexa FoxA pollution warning is in place at two Redcar beaches Picture: Alexa Fox

"What is shows is that the Government hasn’t been tough enough on the water companies and the enforcement against the water companies.

“Of course at the same time, they have been cutting money to the Environment Agency.

“We can’t go on like this with a Government that knows there is a problem there, does absolutely nothing about it and it couldn’t come at a worse time.

“It is damaging our environment, but of course it is really affecting businesses at the height of the tourist season.

"Yet again, we say to the Government, get your head out of the sand and do something about it.”

Ministers are facing growing calls to clamp down on the water firms who are being criticised for not investing money back into the UK’s outdated water infrastructure.

In a report published in July, the Environment Agency said water company bosses should face jail for the worst pollution incidents, describing the sector’s performance in 2021 as the “worst we have seen for years”.

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