Image: A seal resting on land. Slide to the next picture to view an injured seal from Ghost Gear. Please note some people may find the image distressing.
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Conservation
Protecting and improving the East Riding environment
Find out more about the teams that work in the East Riding Coast and Countryside to ensure you have a safe and enjoyable environment to explore and play in. Discover ways you can be part of local conservation efforts and the things to watch out for.
How you can help
Beach Cleans
Various organisations carry out regular litter picks/beach cleans along the Yorkshire coast. If you would like to volunteer to help keep our coastline clean or if you would like to help in another capacity please click on the relevant links below.
Doing our bit for conservation
The Coastal service Team have had 4 recycling bins installed, one on each of the following promenades, Bridlington north, Bridlington South, Hornsea and Withernsea.
The office also has recycle bins and motion sensor lights to save on electricity.
The council provide chemical spill kits to prevent/minimise contamination and work closely with the Environment agency and Yorkshire water, monitoring and reporting on possible pollution sources.
A few of our staff are trained marine mammal medics and have assisted with the rescue and relocation of numerous seals and injured sea birds with the help of local wildlife charities.
Wildlife
Seals
Seals regularly rest on land, and can be found along the East Riding coast throughout the year. If you see a seal on land, keep your distance so that you do not interrupt their rest, cause the seal stress and waste its energy reserves. In extreme circumstances disturbing a seal could lead to the seal's injury or even death, even after you leave the area.
How to be considerate when seal watching:
- Keep dogs under control on leads.
- Keep quiet (so seals can't hear us).
- Keep out of sight (so seals can't see us).
- Keep downwind (so Seals can't smell us).
- Keep well away: Use your zoom, binoculars or telescope.
- Do not take seal selfies.
- Do not feed wild seals.
- Do not fly drones near seals.
- Do not name or promote seal sites on social media.
- Litter kills wildlife: Take it home.
If a seal looks sick, underweight or are entangled then they will need assistance by reporting the seal's location to British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR).
Image: A seal injured by Ghost Gear. The seal was injured, but left with a nasty reminder.
Credit: Matt Barnes - mscuk.org
If you see an injured seal, report it to BDMLR as soon as possible.
Other marine animals
Porpoise, dolphins and whales do not naturally come ashore so any stranded cetaceans should be reported immediately.
You can report sick and injured Marine life on the BDMLR Hotline : 01825 765546 or visit the BDMLR website.
Image: A pair of Dolphins
Seabirds
During the breeding season sea birds occasionally wash up on the beach due to injury, exhaustion or entanglement. If you see a bird in distress, do not approach and keep dogs under control. Contact the Coastal Services Team on 01262 678255 and one of our staff or a local volunteer will come out and collect the bird. The birds are assessed and either taken to a local wildlife sanctuary to recuperate or to the vets for treatment.
If you want to see the seabirds in their natural environment then why not take a trip to RSPB Bempton Cliffs where you can see upto 500,000 seabirds nesting on the cliffs between April and September each year on cliff top viewing areas.
Bempton Cliffs is the largest mainland seabird colony in the UK and includes gannets, puffins, razorbills, guillemots, kittiwakes.
For more information visit the RSPB website.
Other Animals
For any other injured or sick animal then the best thing to do is to call the RSPCA on (0300) 1234 999. Alternatively you can visit the RSPCA website for advice
Puffin
Image: A lone puffin stood on the cliffs
Gannet
Image: A gannet in flight
Razorbills
Image: A pair of razorbills.
Ash Dieback
At a number of sites in the East Riding there are reports of Ash trees with a fungal disease known as 'Ash dieback'. The disease causes die back of the tree's crown and infects the vascular system causing blockages. The disease appears to kill saplings and young trees very quickly, often within one year. However, infected older and larger trees can take many years to die.
The countryside is still open for people to visit and the chance of the disease being spread by visitors to the countryside is low. However it is recommended that you do not pick leaves and move them from one site to another.
For more information on Ash dieback disease and how to spot the symptoms please visit The Forestry Commission website.
The Countryside Code
There are not many things better than going for a leisurely stroll round your local village, past windswept cliffs, rolling hills and open fields.
However, it is important to realise you are not alone! Spare a thought for the birds, animals, plants and trees you may encounter and what you can do to help conserve their future. Keep to designated routes, close any gates you open and keep your dogs under close control.
No Take Zone
This is the first No Take Zone in the North Sea and is an important step for marine conservation.
A No Take Zone means exactly that - You cannot remove anything from within the zone either above or below the high tide mark. Sea fish, including shellfish, and all plants and animals must be left where they are.
You are welcome to examine fossils and look through rock pools but please leave everything as you found it.
The purpose of the No Take Zone is to examine what happens to populations of marine species if we stop removing them from this area, and to help the area return to a more natural state.
The No Take Zone extends from Dane's Dyke to Sewerby.
Litter
Did you know over 30 million tons of litter is dropped every year in Britain? We can all agree that amounts to a lot of money spent cleaning our streets that could be better spent elsewhere. You can help by reporting litter and stopping people from spoiling our beautiful coast and countryside. Alternatively you can join a local group and help by cleaning your local area and setting a great example for others to follow.
Pollution
Erosion
Coastal erosion is a natural process that occurs as a result of waves, tides or currents striking the shore. Sediment or rocks are washed away, typically releasing sediment into the sea and causing the coastline to retreat inland.
Recent records suggest that the East Riding coastline is eroding at an average rate of 1.5-2.5 metres per year. However, certain locations which are not defended can experience individual cliff losses of 20 metres or more due to natural processes.
The major towns of Bridlington, Hornsea and Withernsea, plus important infrastructure at Mappleton and Dimlington Gas Terminals are defended against coastal erosion. These defences are surveyed and maintained regularly to ensure that they continue to function to a high standard.
Despite this, we cannot defend the entire coastline of the East Riding. Coastal defences such as seawalls and groynes tend to be expensive, short-term options which have a high impact on the landscape or environment. It would therefore be unsustainable and inappropriate to defend all 85 kilometres (53 miles) of our coastline against coastal erosion.