Redcar and Cleveland Council faces £1.2m bill over sewage spill

The broken sewer pipe led to the closure of Saltburn's Cat Nab car park

A cash-strapped council faces a huge bill after workmen inadvertently damaged a main pipe, causing sewage to spill on to a nearby beach.

It happened in February during work to extend Saltburn's Cat Nab car park.

Redcar and Cleveland Council has referred to the involvement of a third-party contractor and said it would be "inappropriate to comment further".

Northumbria Water is thought to have demanded £1.2m from the authority to pay for work to deal with the problem.

It said it was "working closely with them [the council] while they process our claim".

Complex engineering work lasting several weeks was needed to work around the damage until a new pipe and fittings could be installed.

The water company had to build a mini-treatment works and a dam to redirect water flows from the nearby Skelton Beck, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

The council has not published an internal investigation into what happened

The LDRS has been told the company is seeking £1.2m from the council to cover its costs, although neither party has confirmed the sum involved.

The local authority was already looking to make savings ahead of setting of its annual budget next year, having previously issued warnings about its financial situation.

In March, cabinet member for highways and transport Julie Craig, whose department commissioned the car park extension, was relieved of her position by council leader Mary Lanigan.

Council director for adults and communities Patrick Rice has conducted an investigation into the incident, including looking at the authority's procedures and processes, but the findings have not been published.

The Environment Agency is also investigating what happened.

It can prosecute where environmental breaches have occurred with potential penalties for pollution spills including jail sentences or unlimited fines.