More dead shellfish wash up on beaches near Saltburn
Thousands more dead and dying sea creatures have washed up on a stretch of coast near Saltburn
Thousands of dead and dying sea-creatures have washed up on a stretch of beach near Saltburn, along the coast where there has previously been a mass crustacean die-off.
The animals, including hundreds of thousands of dead mussels on the shoreline, as well as crabs, razor clams and starfish - some of them still alive, were seen all over the beach at Saltburn, south of the River Tees.
Just yesterday, the Environment Secretary defended a decision not to give compensation to fishing industry workers affected by the mass deaths of shellfish along the Teesside coast, which began happening in 2021.
Therese Coffey appeared before MPs yesterday, saying there was already funding available to people whose livelihoods have been disrupted;
"I understand the concerns of the local fisher-men, but in that wider area - what has been fed back is that they are not seeing a particular change in aspects of revenue.
"I met two of the local MPs just recently, talking about how there might be access to some of that funding, to help in terms of reinvestment in kit, or other facilities that may be possible in order to help the fisher-men in that area."
Now, Stuart Marshall, 58, who owns the colourful beach huts on the promenade, was mounting a clean-up on the sands.
"It's devastating.
"There's starfish dead, clams, oysters and crabs."
He said a large deposit of black debris on the beach - which some said was sea coal - had just arrived on the tide and was not normally there.
Mr Marshall, who has run the huts for almost seven years, said he does not believe the particles are coal, adding: "We do get bits of coal from time to time but not anything like this."
He also questioned the possible explanation that rough seas had killed the creatures, as he said the waters had been calm lately.
Helen Whitworth, from Northallerton, North Yorkshire, was walking her border collie Drako on the beach.
She said: "This black area is not usually here.
"Usually it's a really beautiful beach.
"There's all sorts of debris here.
"I've come down for a lovely walk with the dog and it's such a shame to see all of this today."
The Environment Agency said it had not received any direct reports of the washed up marine life, but a spokesperson said it is "normal at this time of year" and high tides and recent stormy weather would "most likely be the cause".
The previous mass die-off on the North East coast in late 2021 sparked a series of investigations which have proved controversial to this day.
In January, a panel of independent experts convened by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs chief scientific officer Gideon Henderson concluded: "A novel pathogen is considered the most likely cause of mortality."
However, the panel was "unable to identify a clear and convincing single cause for the unusual crustacean mortality".
Some campaigners have feared dredging for a new freeport on the Tees was linked to the die-off, but Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has strongly disputed those claims.