Northumbrian Water issues update on potential cause of contamination of Seaburn stream

Last month, local vet Rory Thomson warned dog owners to avoid walking their pets in the Cutthroat Dene area in Seaburn “until we know more” after a spate of “severe” sickness and diarrhoea which resulted in a fatality.

The warning followed on from Fulwell and Seaburn ward councillor Malcolm Bond demanding a “full investigation” over previous concerns he had raised with the Environment Agency about potential pollution of the stream.

The Sunderland Echo contacted the Environment Agency and were informed their officers had been deployed to the site to investigate reports of the pollution.

We have this week received a subsequent statement from Northumbrian Water which said: “We investigated and found the cause of the problem to be a combined sewer some miles away. As soon as we realised the issue we fixed it straight away.”

After being further questioned as to the “cause” a Northumbrian Water spokesperson contacted the Echo to explain the likely contamination was due to a point 1,800m away from the dene where a sewage pipe and highway drainage system cross over.

At this point, a leak had been identified in the sewage pipe which feeds into the water drainage system which goes into Cutthroat Dene.

The spokesperson explained the leak could have been caused by the recent hot weather which may have caused the pipe to crack. They added that the leak was fixed within 24 hours of them being notified.

The Echo also contacted the Environment Agency about their investigation.

A spokesperson said: “Our investigation into the pollution at Cutthroat Dean identified a localised issue which has since been resolved.

“While we are aware of reports of a dog becoming ill, we cannot confirm whether this was linked to the pollution incident.

“We take pollution incidents extremely seriously. Where appropriate, we will not hesitate to take enforcement action.

“We encourage anyone who suspects a pollution incident to contact us immediately on our 24 hour hotline: 0800 80 70 60.”

We have asked for a more detailed explanation as to what the “localised issue” was, but as yet, have not received a response.

Cllr Malcolm Bond feels the explanation offered “raises more questions than answers”.

He added: “The big question is how long has this leak been there and why has it taken the concerns over dogs becoming ill for it to be investigated.

“I’ve been asking for an investigation into the water quality of Cutthroat Dene for the last two years.”