Cause of thousands of crab deaths in north east may never be known, environment minister says

What caused the deaths of thousands of crabs on the north east coast may never be established, an environment minister has claimed.

Mark Spencer told the House of Commons that investigators “may never find the cause” of the incident, which occurred between October and December 2021 between Hartlepool and Whitby.

Dying crustaceans were seen “twitching” and displaying lethargic behaviour.

Shadow environment minister Daniel Zeichner has accused the government of trying to brush the issue “under the carpet”.

Academic research, backed by the fishing industry, had suggested the incident could have been caused by industrial pollutant pyridine.

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