Notes from the North: BP drops Teesside hydrogen plans, soaring bills and swimming in poo in Blackpool
Latest on our exclusive, agenda-setting and award-winning journalism in the North of England.
This week we welcome back Leigh Jones, of Teesside Lead fame, who drops his insight on the news that BP have withdrawn their application for their H2Teesside project.
The project was to produce 10 per cent of the country’s hydrogen needs by 2030 – and that it won’t go ahead is a blow for net-zero ambitions.
In Blackpool, there’s still lots of poo going into the sea. That’s not unexpected, given the record of United Utilities, but in the context of predictions that water bills will increase by 32 per cent over the next five years – we need better.
And in Lancashire, local politicians have surprised nobody by either wanting elections if they are popular or not if they are unpopular. There had been calls to suspend the elections given most of the authorities will be scrapped within 1-2 years of them.
Each Wednesday and Sunday our award-winning editions of The Lead North are published, as we go beyond the headlines to provide vital rigorous independent local journalism in towns and regions in the North of England.
Begun in early 2024, the Lead North publishes in Blackpool, Lancashire, Calderdale, Teesside and Southport. Each week our senior editor for The Lead North, Luke Beardsworth, highlight some of the stories we’ve been breaking exclusively, covering extensively and staying the course on to ensure communities have access to verified independent journalism. If you have any stories you think we should be covering, or tip-offs, you can contact luke@thelead.uk
BP drops Teesside hydrogen plans: How and why?
This week BP withdrew their application to the government for a Development Consent Order [DCO] for their H2Teesside project.
“Holy shit”, came the response from one journalist Leigh Jones got in touch with.
After Energy Secretary Ed Miliband had twice delayed his decision on the blue hydrogen plant at Teesworks – on the former steelworks site at Redcar – the stakes to approve it became higher and higher. The political wind had changed direction, and momentum for building an AI data centre on the same site seemed to have taken over demand for hydrogen production. Still, when BP confirmed their decision to withdraw – pre-empting a decision from Miliband – it was a total surprise.
A shower of poo is still pumped into Blackpool sea despite water bills surging
Raw sewage continues to be routinely pumped into the sea at Blackpool – with holidaymakers and locals likely to again be warned not to enter the dangerously polluted water.
Since the start of November, there have been at least 157 releases of human faeces and other sewage from United Utilities’ overflow pipe at Anchorsholme, lasting a total of 3,756 minutes, and 98 from its pipe at Manchester Square, lasting 6,198 minutes, according to data collated by the Surfers Against Sewage campaign group.
From 3am on November 14 to 1am on November 16 alone, sewage was dumped into the sea for 22 hours and 11 minutes, with United Utilities failing – when asked – to explain why.
Local elections set to take place in 2026 despite plans to abolish councils two years later
Local elections look set to take place in Lancashire next year – in spite of calls from four of the county’s councils to cancel them.
Speaking in the Commons, local government minister Miatta Fahnbulleh said the Labour administration would be “cracking on” with the polls scheduled for May 2026.
Her comments came after Blackburn with Darwen, Preston, Chorley and Hyndburn councils requested that the votes in their areas be scrapped.
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