Residents may dig deep to help pay for £20m beach clean-up

Staithes has repeatedly been named and shamed in water quality league tables and is predicted to receive a poor rating when stringent new standards are introduced in 2015.

If it does, “no-swimming” signs will have to be put up in a major blow to the North Yorkshire coastal resort’s tourism trade.

Its poor water quality is believed to stem partly from some homes and holiday cottages being plumbed into the surface water system instead of the foul sewer. Waste water from these properties flows directly into Staithes Beck and out to sea, bypassing treatment works where pollutants would otherwise be removed.

Plans have been revealed to the Yorkshire Post for a door-to-door investigation to pinpoint problem properties. Owners of homes found to be misconnected will have to pay to put it right or they could face legal action.

Peter Stevenson, of the Environment Agency, said: “Responsibility is with the owner of the property. It’s something that might not cost a lot but could cost a few hundred pounds, depending on the circumstances.

“Generally, people are helpful, but we have to take into account how much it’s going to cost. If it’s going to cost £200 to £300, it’s not something everybody will be able to do straight away.

“If necessary, we can make people do it. We could use legislation but that would be a last resort.”

The Environment Agency hopes to arrange home visits after working with Yorkshire Water and Scarborough Borough Council to identify hotspots.

Mr Stevenson said: “It’s not easy but that’s the job we need to do. We can narrow it down from where the pipe comes in, but then the only way can be to pour dye down people’s sinks.

“Between the three of us that will be something we’ll be doing during the course of this year.”

The scale of the plumbing problem is not yet clear, but properties in and around Gun Gutter are believed to pose the biggest issue.

“We could be talking 15 to 20 there, but that’s a professional estimate,” said Mr Stevenson.

“In the grand scheme of things, the level of pollution is quite low from this sort of thing.

“Unfortunately, Gun Gutter comes into the harbour quite close to the bathing water. There may be bigger problems – but further away.”

Councillor John Armsby, whose Mulgrave ward includes Staithes, said repair bills would be a blow to residents. “If you are talking about bills of several hundred pounds, a few of them won’t have that sort of money. I wouldn’t feel happy if I was having to fork out.”

Timothy Kirkhope, Conservative MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber, warned making householders pay to fix their plumbing was not the answer, with the real issue being the harbour wall which partly encloses the bathing water and prevents pollutants from dispersing out to sea. “It is far more to do with the nature of the harbour flushing mechanism than it is to do with a few washing machines, frankly,” he said.

Alterations to the wall to let more sea water in and out are being considered.

Run-off from nearby farmland is also believed to affect Staithes’s water quality. The cost of correcting everything has been estimated at between £10m and £20m.

A clearer picture will emerge when results of a Yorkshire Water study come back in September but investigations have already revealed a cracked sewer pipe near to the harbour was adding to the problem. It was fixed last month.

Claire Glavina, of Yorkshire Water’s community engagement team, said: “Once we have all the results we’ll have a much better picture of the situation in Staithes and we’re sharing that information with the Environment Agency.”