Search for sources of pollution on Yorkshire beaches 'a matter of urgency'

Bridlington South Beach and Scarborough South Bay are the two coastal bathing water sites in Yorkshire which are classed as poor by the Environment Agency.

The other 16 are rated good or excellent, based on analysis of samples taken from 2019 through to 2023.

Yorkshire Bathing Water Partnership said “extensive work is under way” to “understand what is causing drops in water quality”.

“This includes an increased programme of sampling throughout 2023 and investment in more research and technology to analyse water samples in order to understand the complex issues affecting these sites,” it added.

“These investigations will continue in 2024 and we will work together as a matter of urgency to improve water quality and ensure all residents, businesses and visitors get the beach environment that they deserve.”

The partnership consists of the Environment Agency, Yorkshire Water, East Riding of Yorkshire Council and North Yorkshire Council.

In a report, the Environment Agency stated there is one storm overflow which discharges sewage into the bay and two which discharge into Bridlington North Beach, where the water quality received a good rating.

The agency has also been conducting tests since 2020 to find out whether bacteria in water which flows from a chalk stream called Gypsey Race and a nearby harbour is polluting Bridlington South Beach.

It said there has been a “step change” in water quality since Yorkshire Water upgraded the sewage infrastructure in 2014 and the installation of a long-sea outfall means sewage is no longer discharged into Gypsey Race.

In Scarborough South Bay, Yorkshire Water said the water quality has deteriorated even though it has significantly reduced the number of sewage discharges since 2010, by investing more than £50m in its treatment works and storage facilities.

The company said there could be “something in the harbour that is discharging” or waste is getting caught up in a swirl.

North Yorkshire County Council and researchers from the University of Durham have conducted a series of tests to identify the cause, but the results were inconclusive.

They said more work needs to be done to identify the source of the pollution.

The chip manufacturer McCain Foods has been blamed for the pollution in Scarborough South Bay, as it has been discharging industrial effluent into the sea from its factory in Eastfield for more than 50 years.

But the company said it is building a wastewater treatment facility, which will filter out bacteria and significantly reduce the amount of organic material, like starch, that is released when it is fully operational in the spring.

The Environment Agency has also said the water quality istemporarily affected following periods of heavy rain, as Scalby Beck carries runoff from the town and nearby livestock farms into the North Sea.