Water department officials warn that sewage leaks from damaged pipes could be a significant source of pollution affecting coastal areas for years.
Since 2018, the water quality at North Tyneside’s Karacoats Bay has consistently received the lowest rating from the Environment Agency (EA), which conducts tests for bacterial contamination related to human and animal feces.
While Northumbrian Water has long attributed the beach’s poor rating to contaminated groundwater, both the EA and North Tyneside Council have struggled to pinpoint the root cause of this ongoing issue for many years.
However, Northumbrian Water now claims to have identified the source of the sewage leak responsible for the contamination and may have resolved it.
The water company revealed that recent surveys and excavation efforts uncovered damaged private and public pipework at Beverley Terrace, as well as improperly installed domestic piping.
Officials believe that sewage has likely leaked from these pipes into the ground, contaminating the groundwater that flows into the bay.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk