Concerned members of the public have joined forces with environmental activists to protest the over the mass deaths of marine life and pollution on the Teesside coast.

Tens of thousands of the crustaceans first washed up on shores from Seaton Carew down to Whitby in October 2021. Defra previously said it had “completed a thorough investigation” which found a natural “algal bloom” was responsible.

The long-running saga has rumbled on for almost a year – our previous coverage on the investigations can be read here. (Picture credit: North News & Pictures Ltd).

In July 2022 it was reported that Redcar and Cleveland council along with Middlesbrough and Hartlepool wanted the government to take action. Redcar and Cleveland Council members unanimously backed a motion which demanded an investigation be reopened.

The ‘Reclaim Our Sea’ group came together on shores across Teesside on Sunday 5 September to show their support and to raise awareness of the pollution in local waters, Teeside Live has reported. The protest comes following the deaths of thousands of sea creatures including crabs and lobsters.

The findings of the Defra study continue to be heavily disputed by fishermen, conservation campaigners along the Teesside coast and an independent marine expert who maintain high levels of a chemical called pyridine, used in industry, are behind the deaths.

The Metro has reported that Campaigners believe dredging at the mouth of the River Tees has unearthed historical toxins leading to the crab deaths. Defra has previously ruled dredging out as a cause for the crustacean mortalities.

The RSPB senior conservation officer, Blanaid Denman, told Metro.co.uk that: “As the source and impact of the pyridine was unclear, the investigation concluded in November that a rare toxic algal bloom was the most likely cause and the investigation was formally closed in March 2022.

“However, this was not a one-time event. While algal bloom toxicity may have been a factor in October, the die-offs have continued throughout the last nine months which clearly indicates an alternative underlying cause, requiring urgent investigation.”

Denman is quoted in the Guardian saying she is “deeply concerned” by the issue and the “potential effects on the wider marine ecosystem”. She added that dredging of the Tees should be halted “until a full scientific analysis can rule it out as a contributory factor”.

Finally, the BBC reported that fishermen in the region have begun a legal campaign over the deaths of the thousands of shellfish last year. Smaller catches are threatening their livelihoods, they say, and they have instructed lawyers to look at challenging Defra.