‘No swim’ advice has yet to be lifted after damage to a sewer main belonging to Northumbrian Water close to the River Tees forced the discharge of untreated sewage into the sea.

The Environment Agency (EA) said early sampling results had indicated no impact on bathing waters, but further results were being awaited before any conclusions could be drawn.

As a result ‘bathing is not advised’ warnings continue to be in place in Hartlepool, Marske, Redcar, Saltburn and Seaton Carew as a precautionary measure with no indication when they could be lifted.

Northumbrian Water has blamed a “third party” after several thousand tonnes of “material” thought to be associated with earth works were tipped on top of the Cargo Fleet sewage main, near to Dockside Road, in Middlesbrough, accidentally fracturing pipework, with required repairs ongoing.

A photo issued by Northumbrian Water showing the location of the sewer main damage.

placeholder image — A photo issued by Northumbrian Water showing the location of the sewer main damage.

This resulted in sewage backing up and with the risk of sewage flooding arising, and in order to relieve the pressure on the local system, a decision was made to carry out “very controlled, heavily diluted discharges” via a storm overflow in Redcar on the coast.

Sea currents can mean such discharges are not always predictable with potential for sewage to be swept miles, hence the warnings covering several designated bathing locations.

Commenting on the sewage discharges, Liberal Democrat councillor Jemma Joy, who chairs the environment and climate change scrutiny committee on Redcar and Cleveland Council, said: “It’s not just water quality for bathing potentially affected, it’s water quality for marine life too.

“It’s just not good enough.”

The damage was first reported on Friday (June 26) with the EA being alerted to the incident in the early hours of Saturday and both parties investigating over the weekend.

Sewage flows were initially held back, but when the volume of discharge required to allow the system to cope later became apparent on Monday, the EA said it acted to liaise with technical experts and local authorities and committed to publishing the no swim advice.

Northumbrian Water said teams were having to remove the material that had impacted on the sewer main.

It said: “This is still in the process of being removed, but elements of the main have now been uncovered and CCTV surveys will be carried out to inspect the damage inside the pipe.

“The teams are working on two different fixes, including repairs to the sewage main and an additional diversion to the pipework.

“We anticipate that this work will be completed early next week.”

A photo issued by the company on social media, meanwhile, showing where teams were at work showed huge mounds of earth and a railway line in close proximity.

Northumbrian Water told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) it would co-operate fully with any regulatory or investigative processes.

A spokeswoman was unable to answer a number of questions posed by the LDRS about the incident because of an ongoing investigation and what she described as legal constraints.

The EA previously said it would “not hesitate to take action, if appropriate, following an investigation into the incident”.

A statement it issued said it was continuing to respond to the “pollution incident”, adding: “Our officers are out daily checking the impacted areas and taking samples.

“Early sample results indicate that there has not been an impact to bathing water, but we must await further results before drawing conclusions and lifting the ‘no swim’ advice.

“We are reviewing this daily and will continue to communicate with partners and the public.”