Mystery tribute to NHS at Roker beach

A tribute to the NHS which appears to criticise the Government's recommended 1% pay rise for staff has been etched into the sand at Roker beach.

The large-scale message appeared on the Sunderland beach on Saturday attracting the attention of those passing by on their daily walk.

Best viewed from above, the message thanks

NHS staff for their dedication throughout the coronavirus pandemic while appearing to make reference to the Government’s decision to recommend they receive a 1% pay rise.

The writing in the sand says: ‘Thank you NHS. This Government may have forgotten you but we have not.’

It is not yet know who created the message but it comes just a week after a Sunderland artist, who goes by the name ‘Eyes,’ made his own mark on the city’s beaches with a striking design.

Now, NHS workers are planning protests around England over the 1% pay rise – a move Labour predicts could help make new nurses £300 worse off.

The move has sparked talk of industrial action, and unions have warned it could see nurses leave the profession in their droves following the “slap in the face” wage review from ministers after 12 months on the front line of the covid pandemic.

Labour has argued that the Government’s recommendation for a 1% pay rise for NHS workers in 2021/22 amounts to a “real terms cut” to wages given that the UK’s fiscal watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, is predicting consumer price inflation (CPI) will rise to 1.7% in the coming year.