The final stages of preparation are underway ahead of major works to tackle historical pollution on the coast at Lynemouth.
The Council has allocated £5m to undertake the works on its land to clean up this stretch of coastline and stop historic waste deposits from washing into the sea in this area.
All the necessary planning and regulatory approvals were secured for the scheme earlier this year and now a temporary bridge is being assembled and craned into position.
Once completed, it will provide access to the north side of the River Lyne, ensuring that construction traffic doesn’t have to use the coastal road between Lynemouth and Creswell throughout the duration of the works.
After the bridge installation, the site setup, including haul roads and the waste processing area, can be completed. In late June, contractors BAM Nuttall will begin excavating and processing the waste materials.
This will involve separating the waste materials for safe off-site disposal and reinstating the landscape, with completion aiming for autumn 2024.
Council teams have continued to visit the site to monitor and remove waste material being eroded
from the cliffs and washed onto the beach, where able and safe to do so.
The public is reminded that for health and safety reasons they should not seek to remove waste material from the beach themselves.
Council Leader Glen Sanderson said: “We’re now seeing key infrastructure going in ahead of the main work starting on this major clean-up project that will significantly improve the environment along this part of the county’s coastline which has been blighted by past industrial activity.
“It’s a very expensive scheme but one that is so important, not just locally but for the whole county, in tidying up and restoring this land to the way it should be.
“This is a key project in our commitment to put the environment at the heart of everything we do and in a few months, we’ll see benefits for local residents, visitors and our wildlife for years to come.”
Local ward county councillors Scott Dickinson and Liz Dunn said: "As ever we are pleased to see some action on moving forward with this.
“Every time we see any action we welcome it with open arms to get a partnership solution to this historic problem.
“We continue to be thankful that agencies are playing a part in correcting this for local communities, sealife and the wider environment, we are proud of our golden coastline and want it to be hazard free in the future.”