Safe to surf? Pollution and politics make waves in Saltburn

Saltburn-by-the-Sea has had something of a renaissance in recent years after decades of decline mirrored at seaside resorts - but it hasn't escaped the national scandal of raw sewage discharges.

By Antonia Charlesworth Stack, first published 24 April 2024

It’s 8am on a midweek morning in April and the beach at Saltburn-by-the-Sea is already getting busy. It’s a beautiful clear morning, and some were here early enough to catch a perfect East Coast sunrise framed by the chalky cliffs of this North Yorkshire town. But the stormy conditions of the l…