A group that is protesting to prevent pollution from being stirred up in the North Sea and sewage being dumped in the ocean have called on politicians to “do it for the future of our children” after staging a ‘link arms’ protest on Sunday.
The Reclaim Our Sea collective took to beaches along the North East coastline on Sunday morning to highlight what they say is the “imminent danger” to the sea and its wildlife.
Stretching from Alnmouth all the way to Whitby, the idea was to unify people to stand together across the beaches to show that there are collective voices when it comes to protesting against sewage and pollution in the North Sea.
Read more: Concern over 'devastating' death of crustaceans in North East
Concerns over the ecosystem on the North East coastline have also been disputed after dead crabs, seals, lobsters and shellfish have washed up on beaches – sparking a wider question on what is happening to our oceans.
An investigation by DEFRA ruled a naturally occurring harmful algal bloom was the cause earlier this year, but this has been disputed by locals who say their concerns have gone unanswered and labelled the probe “pitiful”.
Standing hand-in-hand for several minutes, the scenes on Teesside on Sunday morning sparked tough words from the organisers and several politicians, both MPs and councillors, that were present.
The main organiser of the protest, Sally Bunce, from Reclaim Our Sea, has warned that “we can’t expect to dump waste in the sea and not expect an impact”.
She told The Northern Echo: “There needs to be an overhaul of the legislation when it comes to sewage disposal.
“There is a mass die off of our wildlife in the sea, which started in October.
“The next one could be catastrophic. There needs to be independent studies and needs to be a change.
“Parliament works by public votes, and the public have spoken and used their actions this morning across the North East coastline.”
As well as protestors, Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald was present on Redcar beach to stand with the protest group – and has pledged to take the issues to Parliament moving forward.
He also spoke of his “horror” at seeing the images of raw sewage being pumped into the sea – and understand why people want changes to be made across the UK.
Mr McDonald said: “On Teesside, we have all kinds of wildlife being decimated. I’m here today to listen to what people have to say because some people have some incredible information, and we must challenge authorities.
“We don’t have the right answers at the moment – but what we can’t do is let the North Sea and Tees Bay die off.”
At the protest, many people had their own reasons for attending – but most of them appeared to back the idea that they want the oceans to still be there for their children.
One protestor who brought her three children, Bruce, Erin, and Daisy, was Ceri Cawley, who is a Dormanstown councillor for Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council.
She told The Northern Echo that her children’s future was the driving force behind raising a motion at council level and for attending the protest.
Cllr Cawley said: “It’s all about our children’s future. My three children wanted to come down today, and who am I to say no?
“This is the right way to show how important the topic is and it’s the right way to be heard.
“We hope that agencies and the water companies will listen to us and take action – and it starts here today with this protest.”
Read next:
- Future of Durham City restaurant left ‘in jeopardy’ after burglary
- Miller and Carter Tynemouth – opening date revealed
- Declan Donnelly announces birth of second baby
If you want to read more great stories, why not subscribe to your Northern Echo for as little as £1.25 a week. Click here
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here