![]() Teesside councillors have also been debating the issue. A small flotilla of craft sailed to the mouth of the Tees accompanied by campaigners on the shoreline waving banners in protest. Last May, fishermen and conservationists held a protest at South Gare near Redcar to highlight the issue and their loss of livelihood as a result. Charities including the RSPB have added their voice for calls for the investigation to be reopened after a number of smaller wash ups continued to be noted. ![]() The mass crustacean die off noted in October 2021 has prompted outrage on Teesside. A video taken on Saltburn beach and shared to social media on Wednesday morning also shows huge piles of razor clam shells along the shoreline. The crabs are also smaller than they were last year. There are some crabs and lobsters amongst the piles, she said, but not many. I have never seen starfish like this, creatures of every colour. The shellfish are still inside them, hanging out. There are all sorts of creatures, star fish, mussels, fish. This year the piles go right along, from Marske towards where the beach becomes Saltburn beach. "Last year there were lots of crabs and lobsters, the piles were so big you were walking in them. ![]() You can't say 100% what the cause is but it looks like it did last year. "I got to the bottom of the steps and looked this morning and couldn't believe it. "I got that absolute sinking feeling and just thought 'oh no, not again'," said Sharon. Officers continue to monitor the Teesside coastline following last year's occurrence. Sharon has taken pictures of the most recent wash ups, noted in large numbers on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, and has sent them to the Environment Agency. ![]() Defra has previously ruled dredging out as a cause for the crustacean mortalities. They believe dredging at the mouth of the River Tees unearthed historical toxins leading to the 2021 crab deaths. Government department Defra launched a probe which said the most likely cause was an algal bloom - but the findings continue to be heavily disputed by fishermen, conservation campaigners along the Teesside coast and an independent marine expert who maintain high levels of a chemical called pyridine, used in industry, are behind the deaths. She noticed the huge piles of dead and dying crabs and lobsters in October 2021 which led to a government investigation into the cause. Marske resident Sharon Bell regularly walks the stretch of beach between the two towns and is down there most mornings. A video of the beach near Saltburn, which Teesside Live has been given permission to use, also shows the area littered with razor clam shells in huge numbers. A lobster pot has even washed ashore which might indicate the strength of the tide. Pictures show piles of debris, seaweed, dead star fish and some lobsters and crabs. Teesside Live has been to the stretch of beach to take a look. Read more: Conservationist 'astounded' as Teesworks announces that dredging on Tees has begun Many are dead, say people living in the area, who have reported the findings to the Environment Agency. Pictures from the area show a long line of seaweed on the beach intermingled with what locals have described as sea creatures of all kinds. It has been a period of recent high tides along the Teesside coast as autumn arrives but people living in the area have once again raised concerns about the wash ups, which have come almost a year after mass crustacean deaths were noted along the same stretch of beach. In the past few days a long line of dead and dying creatures and shellfish has been noticed along the stretch of sands between Marske and Saltburn. ![]() Large swathes of dead sea creatures including starfish, crabs, fish and razor clam shells have started to wash up again on Teesside's beaches. ![]()
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