The reasons why Saltburn’s iconic cliff lift isn’t being fully utilised have been revealed after a councillor questioned limited number of people using it.

Cliff Foggo said the lift, which transports passengers from the Lower Promenade to Marine Parade and back again, was only running at about 60 per cent capacity. He said the lift had undergone “considerable capital investment” in recent years.

The popular attraction is the oldest water-balanced cliff ‘funicular’ still in operation in Great Britain and the second oldest in the world, but it has been dogged by maintenance issues in recent years and was also forced to close for lengthy periods during the covid-19 pandemic.

Departing cabinet member Coun Foggo, who is bowing out from Redcar and Cleveland Council after announcing he would not stand again in local elections for the authority, asked for an explanation at a recent meeting.

A paraglider flies high above the famous Saltburn Cliff Tramway, a funicular railway system of two counterbalanced cars attached at the end of a long cable that goes from one car, up the slope, around a pulley, and back down to another car. This means that as one car goes up the slope, the other one must go down

In a written response Robert Hoof, the council’s assistant director for the environment, said there were limits to the number of passengers that could be carried due to the introduction of modern safety systems and current ‘lifting operations’ legislation, which provides guidelines for safe operation.

Mr Hoof also said the weight limit of the cars had not changed since their introduction, while at the same time the average adult weight had increased, which was another factor restricting numbers.

He added: “If required the cars could be upgraded by installing larger water tanks to allow increased passenger numbers in the future, subject to checks on the rest of the system.”

Coun Foggo acknowledged the response and said the operating system was “basically still a Victorian system with some modern safety features which are not all automated”.

He said: “The judgement of the operator is still required to operate the lift safely and at times that may mean that numbers have to be limited.”

Last year some councillors expressed frustration about the cliff lift being out of operation and its restricted opening hours, although the lift subsequently returned to action seven days a week for the school summer holidays.

At the time a council spokesman cited staffing issues and also said the lift had to be occasionally temporarily closed for checks and maintenance.

Opened in 1884, it still operates as it was designed and carries approximately 150,000 passengers each year.

Saltburn Cliff Tramway: Why the number of people using Saltburn's iconic cliff lift is being limited