Clean up of historical industrial pollution near Lynemouth finally has start date set

Site setup works will begin in the polluted area in January 2024, with excavation work now scheduled to start in April.

Required permissions and environmental conditions have resulted in delays in the work to clean up the coastline and prevent historic waste from washing into the sea at various stages.

But with £5m of funding that had previously been agreed and all required planning and regulatory approval now secured, the council can start work at the site as soon as it is made possible by weather conditions and the window for avoiding ecological disruption.

In a statement, local councillors Scott Dickinson and Liz Dunn said: “We remain optimistic, although we recognise local people are feeling like this has stalled.

“We have pressed for this for years and will continue to work with the council to ensure it happens.

“Delays outside the Council’s control we can accept, but anything else will be challenged.

“It is an issue that must be tackled, which it seems we all recognise. The sooner this is cleared up, however complex it is, the better.”

Members of the public remain advised to avoid picking up any of the waste themselves.

Council teams will be monitoring the site to pick up rubbish where it is safe to do so, as they have been doing for some time, as well as clearing vegetation to prevent birds from nesting ahead of excavation work.

Waste from collieries has been dumped illegally at the site since 1934, and hazardous materials within these deposits has been exposed by erosion over time.

Council Leader Glen Sanderson said: “This is a key project in our commitment to put the environment at the heart of everything we do.

“Not only are we tackling the contaminated land, we also know how unsightly these historic waste deposits washing onto the beach are.

“We do pride ourselves on our beautiful beaches, so improving the general environment here is very important to us.”

The county council is also in discussions with the Coal Authority to fund expanding this scheme onto land the national public body owns further up the coast.