THE MP for Redcar, Vera Baird, has sent a strong letter of protest to Northumbrian Water about sewage deposits on Marske beach.

Following an "equivocal" reply when she demanded to know why sewage was deposited on the beach when the company had just put in place a scheme to prevent exactly that, she has sent another searching letter.

She said: "The residents of Marske and I negotiated long and hard with Northumbrian Water which originally wanted to build a huge pit to retain sewage in heavy rain on the very sensitive Headland area. They eventually agreed to move it to the bottom end of the Stray.

"We were told that it would be the end of sewage deposits on the beach, even in heavy rain, but that is exactly what occurred in August."

She claimed it had taken the firm nine months to reply to her letter asking for an explanation.

"They now suggest on the one hand that the sewage may have come from Skinningrove, on the other hand it may have come from a different outfall near Marske and on Northumbrian's third hand, that it may have come from Redcar.

"They do not make clear whether the real reason may be that their new construction has not lived up to its promise. We were never told when they were arguing for their scheme, that sewage deposits may still end up on the beach from elsewhere else.

"They will soon be asking Redcar residents to accept a pit at Zetland Park, for a similar purpose. They have got to show that the Marske one works.

"They will have to show too that they can be believed when they say that if Redcar people agree to have such a construction near their home, that there will be no further sewage on their local beach at all."