Shellfish deaths: Yorkshire councillor backs calls for public inquiry into 'marine disaster' off coast

Councillor Neil Swannick, who represents the Streonshalh ward in Whitby, said it was “astonishing” that further research into the cause of the shellfish deaths was not being undertaken by the Government. It comes as a cross-party group of opposition councillors has announced that they will be calling for a public inquiry into the die-offs at the next full meeting of North Yorkshire Council on Wednesday, May 17.

Local fishermen have said their livelihoods are at risk due to significantly reduced catches which they blame on dredging in the Tees.

Several members of North Yorkshire Council, including Labour and Conservative councillors, have blamed dredging but an independent expert panel formed by the Government said the “most likely” cause of the deaths was an unidentified “pathogen new to UK waters” such as “a potential disease or parasite”.

Thérèse Coffey, the secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs ruled out further investigations while appearing before the Efra committee which is chaired by the MP for Scarborough and Whitby, Sir Robert Goodwill.

Speaking at the meeting on March 28, Dr Coffey said: “The key thing that the panel did conclude significantly and ruled out was that it was to do with the pyridine, but that it was a novel pathogen. At that stage, it felt like it was trying to find the holy grail and what it could be, and I made the judgement that we wouldn’t try and pursue any further research.

“However, we did say that we would respond to similar reports of mortality and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) has not received any reports of similar mortality events.”

New concerns were raised on March 29, when thousands more shellfish washed up on the North Yorkshire coast though the Environment Agency stated that the wash-up was “a natural event” and “normal for this time of year”.

Coun Swannick said: “A marine disaster has clearly taken place on the North East coast, starting in October 2021 and continuing through to the revelation of a further die-off of starfish and other marine life, washed up on Saltburn beach in the last few days.

“DEFRA has twice closed the case since early 2022, and Secretary of State, Thérèse Coffey’s denial of responsibility to find the cause of the problem, so that actions can be taken to avoid it happening again, is truly astonishing.

“I believe that only a public enquiry will be trusted by the public to uncover what has been happening with the destruction of the marine environment south of the Tees and confirm or deny the speculation that it is being caused by dredging for the Tees Freeport.”

Coun Andy Brown, of the North Yorkshire Council Green group, added: “North Yorkshire’s residents were first told that much of the sea life along their coastline had been killed off by an algal bloom that had never been seen.

“Now they are asked to believe that a new disease that no one has ever seen and no scientist has ever detected is the cause. Meanwhile, the rush to dredge in Teesside continues to release pyridine which is known to kill shellfish and the creatures that live off them.

“This is simply not good enough.”