Crap Towns / Gateshead / Pollution incidents
How often does Gateshead get polluted?
12 serious pollution incidents have been recorded in Gateshead or within 1 km of it since 2016, the joint 79th most of the 948 English towns that have had one. The most recent came in November 2025 and put suspended solids in the water. Noise turned up in 2 of them.
| When | What | Where | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 2025 | Suspended solids | In the water | Significant |
| January 2025 | Firefighting run-off and smoke | In the air | Significant |
| July 2023 | Odour | In the air | Significant |
| July 2023 | Odour | In the air | Significant |
| October 2021 | Noise | In the air | Significant |
| June 2021 | Odour | In the air | Significant |
| November 2020 | Noise | In the air | Significant |
| September 2020 | Odour | In the air | Significant |
| August 2020 | Odour | In the air | Significant |
| July 2020 | Odour | In the air | Significant |
| June 2020 | Odour | In the air | Significant |
| June 2016 | Crude sewage | In the water | Significant |
| Town | Distance | Serious incidents since 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 7.6 km | 14 |
| Gateshead | – | 12 |
| Jarrow | 7.3 km | 5 |
| Washington | 5.7 km | 5 |
| Birtley | 4.6 km | 4 |
| Boldon Colliery | 7.6 km | 4 |
| Pelton and Ouston | 7.1 km | 2 |
| Wallsend | 7.8 km | 2 |
| Blaydon | 8.3 km | 1 |
| Hebburn | 5.7 km | 1 |
| Whickham | 6.5 km | 1 |