Work has been ongoing since first light on the emergency repair to the damaged sewer pipe at the Cat Nab car park in Saltburn.
The pipe was damaged by a third party working in the car park.
The repair is a priority for Northumbrian Water and the company is working with its contractors and Redcar & Cleveland Council to fix the pipe and stop the spillage as quickly as possible.
Due to the complexity and scale of the repair work, this is expected to be ongoing for a number of days. Tankering is continuing to remove some of the contents of the pipe but it is inevitable that there will be a discharge.
The car park and adjacent area of beach have been cordoned off by Redcar and Cleveland Council.
The pipe is spilling through the ground into Skelton Beck, mixing with the water and becoming diluted. This is then being washed into the sea, adding significant further levels of dilution. There will be some sewage in this and it's not pleasant. But we're working closely with Environment Agency and they understand that we are doing everything we can to minimise risk to any marine wildlife and we do not see a risk to public health. As a precaution, people are asked to stay away.
Every effort is being taken to complete this repair as quickly as possible and we will let people know when the situation is resolved.