RESIDENTS of a seaside town are concerned that a bright orange stream may be driving tourists away.

The stream, which flows through Saltburn Gill Nature Reserve, in east Cleveland, is known locally as "red river".

There are fears that its orange colour, caused by iron ore leaking from disused mines, will not impress visitors to Saltburn - many of whom use a car park next to the stream.

The colour is so vibrant that a student who carried out a study of the stream, which runs orange for about a mile, discovered that space satellites could pick up bright colour as it entered the beach at Saltburn.

"The stream skirts a major car park used by tourists," said parish councillor Jim Wingham. "When visitor see it, they're not likely to come back.

"There used to be otters and kingfishers here, but now, although the water is not toxic, there's no oxygen or fish, so if they do come they certainly don't stay. The sooner the authorities do something the better."

He said a reed bed scheme which would filter iron ore particles out of the water would cost £500,000.

But Jeremy Garside, chief executive of the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust, which owns the land where the stream flows, said it was not a simple matter.

"The mechanisms suggested so far would destroy nationally important woodland, so it doesn't really add up," he said.

"The ironstone that comes into the gill doesn't come from our land, it comes in further upstream, but it's the old mining companies which should be held responsible. But they've long gone."

Mr Garside said he would welcome getting rid of the ironstone pollution, but he did not know how.

"We have every sympathy with people's concerns about tourism and if somebody came up with a solution we'd be very pleased," he said.

Redcar and Cleveland borough councillor John Robinson said he had exhausted all avenues for funding.

"There is a fund for pollution caused by coal mines, but nothing for pollution caused by ironstone mines," he said. "It's a big predicament.