Water chiefs believe that sewage leaking from damaged pipes may be the cause of pollution that has affected Cullercoats Bay for years. Since 2018, the Environment Agency has consistently rated the water quality at the North Tyneside bay as "poor," the lowest possible rating, based on tests for bacteria linked to human and animal feces.
For an extended period, Northumbrian Water had attributed the bay's low water quality score to polluted groundwater. However, the water company, along with the Environment Agency and North Tyneside Council, had struggled to pinpoint the exact origin of the problem.
Recent survey and excavation work by Northumbrian Water has, according to the company, identified damaged private and public pipework, as well as incorrectly fitted household pipes on Beverley Terrace. The company now suspects that these pipes have leaked sewage into the ground, contaminating the groundwater, which subsequently seeped into the bay, causing the persistent pollution.