Bright blue ‘paint or ink’ in Skelton’s Layland Beck

A waterway has turned an unnaturally blue colour, to the alarm of walkers and other visitors to the site.

Jenny Thompson, a resident in Skelton near Saltburn, was walking her dog when she spotted the bright blue colour of Layland Beck.

She walked closer and discovered the waterway was flowing quickly but the unusual hue of the beck was not moving away.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency, which is investigating the discolouration, said paint or ink had “washed through the system” but had not had “a visible impact on the environment”.

Ms Thompson said: “I couldn’t believe my eyes, I thought to myself what is going on.

“The becks around here have been orange because of iron ore and I wondered what could have caused this.”

She could not see through the water to the bottom and her dog was more interested than usual in getting close to the beck.

“The water was flowing quite fast which meant whatever is in there there must be a lot of it,” Ms Thompson said.

Councillor Justin Thompson said current advice from the Environment Agency was to avoid the beck.

The agency spokesperson said: “Our officers confirmed paint or ink has washed through the system and determined no visible impact on the environment.

“The team have continued to monitor the situation throughout the day and have sampled the water.”

The agency is continuing to investigate the discolouration.