Saltburn beach sewage spill work will go into next week

Tankers have been drafted in and repair work is expected to last for a number of days

Repair work on a sewage leak which has closed a beach will go into next week, a water firm has said.

Northumbrian Water said repairing the leak caused by third-party contractors at Cat Nab Car Park in Saltburn on Wednesday is "complex" and "requires significant excavation work".

People are being urged to avoid the area with cordons in place.

Straw bales have been placed to filter the sewage before it reaches the sea, a spokesman said.

Northumbrian Water said fixing the leak is a priority

The Northumbrian Water spokesman said: "The repair that is needed is quite a complicated fix and the engineers are expecting it to take into next week to complete."

Repairs will need to be made to the bed of Skelton Beck and concrete blocks will be installed to support the new pipe.

The water firm spokesman said the Environment Agency was monitoring the impact of the sewage leak but said it was confident it was doing all it could to minimise the risk.

People are being urged to stay away from a section of beach near Skelton Beck in Saltburn

He said: "The company knows the impact this has had for people living and visiting the area and want to reassure people they're treating it as a priority and are doing everything they can to get it fixed as soon as possible.

"The measures will be in place until the pipe is fixed and until then we ask residents and visitors to keep out of the water that runs from Skelton Beck to the sea at Saltburn."