Marske beach littered with condoms, tampons and wipes

Some of the waste picked up in one beach cleaning session by Helen Taylor

Used sanitary products, condoms and wet wipes are "regularly" washing up on a popular Teesside beach, a group of litter pickers has warned.

They have called on Northumbrian Water to take action to tackle what they describe as a "health hazard" in Marske.

Redcar's MP Jacob Young met with the firm's chief executive on Tuesday.

The company said it plans to invest £270m in the area to create more capacity in its sewerage network.

Helen Taylor, a volunteer with Marske Litter Action, said although the group had cleaned up this type of waste for years, it was now doing it more often as occurrences increase.

'Not acceptable'

Wet wipes and sanitary items are usually found on beaches after being wrongly flushed down toilets.

They make their way to the coast through overflow systems used to relieve pressure on the sewerage system, caused by a lack of capacity or excess rainfall.

Northumbrian Water said it is aware of concerns in the Marske area

An increase in wet weather, ageing sewerage systems and blockages can exacerbate the problem.

"It's appalling at the moment and the current sewer systems are beyond capacity," Ms Taylor said.

"It is a health hazard - none of this is acceptable."

She called on Northumbrian Water to ensure sewerage systems in the village, between Redcar and Saltburn, have enough capacity to meet demand when more homes are built.

'Recurring problem'

Mr Young echoed the concerns and pledged to work with the water company and residents to "make sure there is a solution in place".

"It goes without saying that nobody wants sanitary products to find their way onto our beaches," the Conservative said.

Helen Taylor takes part in regular beach cleaning events in Marske

He highlighted an ongoing government consultation into the banning of plastics in products like wet wipes, which account for many blockages in storm overflows.

Northumbrian Water said its plans would see efficiency improved and more capacity within Marske's network.

A spokeswoman said the solution would involve removing unnecessary surface water from the existing network by discharging it safely to the North Sea.

She said the company had worked with local beach cleaning groups, adding: "When items such as wipes and sanitary products end up on our beaches, we understand and share their disappointment.

"They shouldn't be there."