An MP says he is disappointed at the loss of Saltburn’s Blue Flag beach status.

Simon Clarke, the Conservative MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, said the award for the last four years had been a “source of pride”.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed how a drop in water quality from ‘excellent’ to ‘good’, based on tests by the Environment Agency, meant Saltburn was ineligible for a Blue Flag certification this year.

It was one of 80 English beaches to receive the award last year, which covers the period between May and September, and the only one between Whitby, North Yorkshire, and Roker, Sunderland

Mr Clarke said: “While the Environment Agency still rates the quality of bathing water at Saltburn as ‘good’, it is disappointing that this most recent analysis has not found it met the requirement to be considered ‘excellent’.

“Regrettably, this means Saltburn has not met the criteria for a Blue Flag award this year, an award which has been a source of pride for the past four years. 

“I will be speaking with colleagues at Redcar and Cleveland Council, Northumbrian Water and all relevant agencies in the coming days and weeks to see what action can be taken to improve the quality of bathing water in Saltburn so that it returns to the standard of ‘excellent’ as soon as possible.”

Saltburn is a popular location for surfers all year round and a spokeswoman for environmental campaign group Surfers Against Sewage said it was a “huge cause for concern”.

She said: “These are shared public spaces that we rely on for our health and wellbeing and unfortunately weakened ocean protections mean that the situation is only likely to get worse.

“Decades of under investment have left our rivers and coastlines in a dire state. 

“It’s time that those responsible are held to account for this environmental vandalism.” 

Councillor Steve Kay, the cabinet member for health and welfare at Redcar and Cleveland Council, previously said there had been no evidence provided to the council to suggest sewage was responsible for the drop in water quality.

He said: “There was no specific cause given to the drop from ‘excellent’, but many environmental factors can affect the results, such as rainfall, agriculture and livestock, as well as things such as run-off from road drainage.”

A single pollution risk warning was issued for bathing water in Saltburn last year, according to the Environment Agency.

Meanwhile, profiling of the area revealed that sewage debris had not been noticed during sampling carried out by the Agency between 2018 and 2021, although litter was recorded on 13 per cent of visits.