Teesworks - Changing South Bank

The South Bank site as well as being the location for the South Bank Quay also contains some of the most contaminated areas on Teesworks and has during development been used for storage of large quantities of materials.

Teesworks is an upper tier COMAH site mainly due to the materials left behind from over a century of coke manufacture, resulting in a large legacy of 1000s of tonnes of coal tar derived materials being left on the South Bank site alone. The COMAH citation (Teesworks - COMAH Status) while being primarily concerned with human safety, also stresses the severe hazards that these materials present to the aquatic environment.

The images below show the changes, documented by drone flights over the site, for which we acknowledge the owners of the YouTube footage used.

21st April 2021(Edit)

20th June 2021(Edit)

15th September 2021(Edit)

15th January 2023(Edit)

Foundations of coke by-products plant, benzole plant, gas holder and numerous other tanks visible.

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Large grey piles near river are presumably made ground removed from across site, either awaiting crushing or too contaminated to be used. Not sure where material removed from excluded dredge is, but could be small dark pile to south east of main pile. Some evidence of rubble walls presumably to act as bunding but broken by vehicle routes.

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Partial removal of made ground above riverbank being converted to river, showing river able to wash contaminants continuously from bank into river.

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View across whole South Bank site showing level of surface water present on both worked areas and unworked areas, suggesting other routes for contaminants to enter water courses over time.

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