A popular beach has lost its coveted Blue Flag status due to a decline in bathing water quality.

Saltburn was the only beach between Whitby and Sunderland to be given the internationally recognised certification in 2022, the BBC reported. However, its bathing water quality, based on Environment Agency samples, has fallen from “excellent” to “good”.

Keep Britain Tidy, which oversees the process, confirmed Saltburn was not eligible to apply this year. It had previously won the Blue Flag award for four years in a row. Full results will not be revealed until May. (photo: Jack Tennyson on Unsplash)

In February, sewage water spilled on to the beach after work on a car park extension led to a main pipe being accidentally damaged, although this happened three months before the Environment Agency’s testing period began.

Crustacean death link

Steve Kay, cabinet member for health and welfare at Redcar and Cleveland Council, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service there was “no evidence” to suggest sewage was to blame.

He also suggested there was no link the council was aware of to mass crustacean deaths on the region’s beaches which have caused concern among environmentalists, fishermen and politicians alike.

“There was no specific cause given for the drop from ‘excellent’, but many environmental factors can affect the results, such as rainfall, agriculture and livestock, as well as things such as run-off from road drainage,” he said.

In August, a sample found high levels of bacteria such as enterococci, which is found in human intestines, and e-coli in the sea. This was attributed to a number of potential causes such as rainfall, sea turbulence, land run-off, seaweed decay, bird droppings and the water temperature.

Saltburn, which is Redcar and Cleveland’s most popular destination, attracted 1.47 million visitors last year, a 68% increase on the previous year, bringing an estimated £70m into the local economy.

However, these figures were down on pre-pandemic levels in 2019 when 2.1m people visited the seaside town.

The full story on the BBC News website can be read here. The story was also covered in the Yorkshire Post, ITV and Northern Echo.