Groundwater at Hauxley tested for high manganese levels
Claims by an Amble resident that groundwater on the beach and in the Low Hauxley allotments was showing high levels of manganese has prompted further water testing by the authorities.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency told the Ambler they had now taken samples of the water in Hauxley allotments:
“The results show normal levels of manganese in the water. We’ve passed these results to Northumberland County Council as the lead authority.
“Regarding the upwelling of groundwater on the beach, as mentioned before, our assessment of the quantities of water show there is no cause for concern or risk to marine life. As a precaution we will begin testing bathing water samples taken from Amble Links, Hauxley and Druridge Bay for metal to monitor the situation.”
Hauxley’s flooding history
After our article in the last Ambler on concerns about poisoned water at Low Hauxley, we received a call from Amble resident Rod Scott, who had additional information on flooding in the area.
Rod told The Ambler that fields behind Low Hauxley had always been boggy, even from when he had lived in the village as a child. “It has always been marshland in the Hauxley fields, and the iron colour of the water is due to the peat bog,” he said.
He described how a watercourse runs from fields north of Kirkwell Cottages, all the way to Hauxley Nature Reserve and into the lake. “The little stream runs from Kirkwell Cottages all the way to the lake,” he said, “and if it gets blocked, that is why the road has flooded in recent years”.
Anna Williams
Related article:
Claims of poisoned water on Low Hauxley beach
