£5m beach clean plan set to begin
A MULTI-MILLION pound project to remove historic industrial waste from a popular Northumberland beach is set to get under way.
Northumberland County Council say the “final stages” of preparation are under way ahead of the major project to tackle the pollution on the coast at Lynemouth. A total of £5m has been allocated to clean up the stretch of coastline, with the aim of stopping the waste deposits from washing into the sea.
Dangerous chemicals including asbestos have been uncovered following spells of bad weather that caused erosion on the coastline. A temporary bridge is currently being assembled and craned into position to allow construction traffic access to the north side of the River Lyne.
This means heavy plant equipment won’t need to use the coastal route between Lynemouth and Creswell during the work. It is hoped the project will be completed by autumn this year.
Council ceader Glen Sanderson said: “We’re now seeing key infrastructure going in ahead of the main work starting on this major clean-up project that will significantly improve the environment along this part of the county’s coastline which has been blighted by past industrial activity. It’s a very expensive scheme but one that is so important, not just locally but for the whole county, in tidying up and restoring this land to the way it should be.
“This is a key project in our commitment to put the environment at the heart of everything we do and in a few months, we’ll see benefits for local residents, visitors and our wildlife for years to come.”
Local ward councillor and Labour leader Coun Scott Dickinson said: “It was great after so many years of lobbying, local people can see actual action.
“The bridge going in means we can actually start to see things physically happening.
“It’s been a long haul and it’s been really frustrating for people who haven’t been able to see anything but now they can. I don’t think this would have happened unless everybody had contributed.
“This is about protecting our coastline for visitors and locals. There’s dangerous chemicals there so it needs doing.
“When things that are wrong have been done in the past, you just have to take it on the chin. People wanted a blame game but we’re decades down the line.”