Dead crabs may be tip of the iceberg with development at Teesside Freeport

More questions than answers remain about the cause of the so-called mass crustacean mortality event in Teesside - and there are fears about what this could mean for the future, by Jessica Taylor Price

It began with a bang. At least, that’s what Joe Redfern would tell you. Late in the evening of 19 September, 2021 in Teesside, a massive explosion felled the Dorman Long tower, a mid-century building that once stored coal in the town known for its chemical industry.

Five days later, locals spotted the Orca. The maintenance dredger was enlisted to move se…