Crap Towns / Birtley / Pollution incidents
How often does Birtley get polluted?
4 serious pollution incidents have been recorded in Birtley or within 1 km of it since 2016, the joint 281st most of the 948 English towns that have had one. 2 were major, the worst kind. The most recent came in January 2025 and put commercial waste, building rubble and tyres on the land.
| When | What | Where | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2025 | Commercial waste, building rubble and tyres | On the land | Significant |
| February 2022 | Firefighting run-off, waste oil, general biodegradable material or waste and smoke | In the air | Major |
| November 2018 | Animal matter | On the land | Major |
| October 2016 | Crude sewage | In the water | Significant |
| Town | Distance | Serious incidents since 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| Gateshead | 4.6 km | 12 |
| Stanley | 8.2 km | 5 |
| Washington | 4.1 km | 5 |
| Birtley | – | 4 |
| Chester-le-Street | 4.8 km | 2 |
| Fence Houses | 7.9 km | 2 |
| Pelton and Ouston | 2.9 km | 2 |
| Hebburn | 9.3 km | 1 |
| Shiney Row and Penshaw | 7.0 km | 1 |
| Whickham | 8.3 km | 1 |