Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer calls on the Governemt to meet fishing communities

Sir Keir said the Government “has no real answer” over what they are going to do about the massive die-offs of seaside creatures on the region’s beaches and called on ministers to meet with the fishing community.

He made the comments during a visit at Hartlepool community centre The Annexe on Monday.

The Labour leader said government investigations into the cause of the deaths “haven’t really led anywhere”.

Asked about the die-offs, Mr Starmer told the Mail: "This is a massive, awful problem that confronts local communities.

"I think the Government has really let them down, because they haven’t got a grip, they have no real answer to what they are going to do about this, they’ve had investigations about this that haven’t really led anywhere.

"Meanwhile, there’s this awful situation that’s hugely impacting on local communities and on the fishing communities.

"I think the Government hasn’t done enough, it hasn’t got a grip. I would like to see government ministers having the courage to sit down with the fishing communities, mostly impacted by this, and rolling up their sleeves, say what they’d do and get on with it.”

Environment Secretary Therese Coffey has so far rejected calls to meet with the fishermen, suggesting that Labour had “impugned” independent scientific advice.

Hundreds of dead crabs washed up on Hartlepool beaches in October 2021, prompting an investigation by the Environment Agency.

Sea life deaths were reported as far down south as Whitby with the creatures “twitching” and displaying lethargic behaviour.

An Environment Agency later concluded that naturally occurring harmful algal bloom could have been responsible.

But a study carried out by academics at Durham, Newcastle, Hull and York universities, and backed by the fishing industry, suggested the incident could have been caused by industrial pollutant pyridine after River Tees dredging.

However, an independent a panel, made up of academics, industry experts, and chaired by Defra’s chief scientific adviser said it was “very unlikely” that the cause was pyridine or another toxic pollutant – concluding instead that a potential disease or parasite new to UK waters could have caused the crab deaths.

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who accompanied Sir Keir to Hartlepool, added: "Therese Coffey ought to be meeting with the fishing community. She ought to sit down with people and actually hear what is happening, what this means and actually talk to them about what now needs to be done.”

The Labour leader and the Shadow Home Secretary were in Hartlepool on Monday to meet residents and discuss anti-social behaviour concerns.

During the meeting, town residents described how stones and eggs were thrown at their windows.

Ms Cooper said Labour want to increase police presence on the streets to make the town safer.

Sir Keir Starmer told the Mail that the party want to earn “as many seats as possible” in Hartlepool at the upcoming local elections and vowed to freeze council tax if Labour were in power.