Falmouth harbour seabed more polluted than industrial ports Teesside, Tyneside and Liverpool

Local community launches new petition calling on the Marine Management Organisation not to license a major dredge without proof it is safe

8 October 2026, Falmouth: As Falmouth opens its annual Oyster Festival this week, new analysis by Cornwall Wildlife Trust shows that seabed sediment in the harbour, where a major dredge is planned, is more contaminated with Tributyltin (TBT) than some of the UK’s biggest industrial ports. These include Teesside, Tyneside, Liverpool, Plymouth and Portsmouth.

TBT was widely used in hull antifouling paint and is now banned internationally, because even at low concentrations it poses a severe threat to human health and is lethal to marine life. Analysis of sediment samples taken by the developers found three-quarters of these to be too toxic to be disposed of at sea, in some cases by more than 17 times above the safe limits. Other toxic contaminants in the sediment include mercury, zinc, lead, and copper.

Disturbing the toxins currently trapped safely in the seabed could devastate Falmouth’s marine life including shellfish (such as oysters, mussels, scallops and crabs), maerl beds, seagrass meadows and sea mammals (including dolphins and seals). Local fishers are deeply concerned about the threat to their livelihoods.

If TBT enters the food chain or swimming areas, it poses real dangers to human health, including metabolic disruption, immune system suppression, neurotoxicity, and threats to fertility and pre-natal development.

Rachel Parkes, community organiser, Stop the Dredge, commented: “Thousands of people from the local community do not want this dredge to go ahead. Many support the redevelopment of the docks, but oppose harmful dredging and inadequate consultation. They are also deeply concerned about the impacts of having ‘mega’ cruise ships docking in Falmouth.”

“Falmouth is a beautiful town with a rich heritage, a thriving ocean economy and protected wildlife - we cannot rush ahead with any decision that risks ruining that.”

After more than 700 objections on Cornwall Council’s Planning Portal, the community campaign group, recently renamed ‘Stop the Dredge. Redevelop Responsibly’, has today launched a 38 Degrees petition addressed to the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), alongside a new statement of its position on the current proposal. Members of the public are encouraged to pledge their support and share the petition.

The new petition asks the MMO not to grant a marine licence unless:

• independently verified safeguards are in place to protect fisheries and marine life;
• less harmful approaches to redeveloping the docks have been fully explored;
• the public consultation is reopened, so local people can respond to environmental evidence submitted since it closed.

The £150 million redevelopment plans to dredge almost 650,000 cubic metres of sediment, equivalent to more than 250 Olympic summing pools. The aim is to deepen berths to 10.5 metres, partly so that much larger cruise ships and commercial vessels can dock. 

The plans envisage a quadrupling in the number of cruise passengers disembarking in Falmouth, to 200,000 a year. Cruise ships in dock will need to run their engines continually to provide power, and thousands of their passengers will head straight out of town on coach excursions. Many in the community are concerned at the impacts on local services, air pollution and traffic congestion.

The original consultation ran from 24 July to 4 September 2025. Further environmental information has been submitted since, including an updated Habitats Regulations Assessment and comments from Natural England, published in September 2026. Local fishers, whose knowledge is essential for a safe and responsible dredge, say they were not fully consulted by the MMO.

Patrick Vinnicombe, a local oyster fisherman who is featuring in the Oyster Festival, commented: “This weekend, thousands of people have arrived in Falmouth to celebrate its oysters, bringing thousands of pounds to the local economy. Any new development must ensure there is still an oyster fishery to celebrate in 10 years time. This dredge could completely wipe us out. After a much smaller dredge in 2001, it was years before local fish stocks recovered. 

We have expert knowledge of tidal currents and winds, gained over many years, and we know how easily toxic sediment could drift well beyond the  dredging site. But we’ve not been given the opportunity to feed into a decision that could severely impact our livelihoods. That is simply wrong.”

Residents and Oyster Festival attendees are invited to hear more from community members about the planned project and potential impacts:

• Thursday 8th 12:00 on the main stage: Hear oyster fishermen Jason Pascoe and Paddy Vinnicombe talk about the history and traditions of Britain’s last remaining wild oyster fishery and what could happen if the dredge goes ahead.
• Stop the Dredge stall on Church Street, near the Cornish Bank: Chat to community volunteers, sign the petition and buy new ‘Stop the Dredge’ merchandise, designed by local children. 
• Saturday 10 October 17:30, Pendennis Community Centre: Join a screening of ‘All Rivers Spill their Stories’, a documentary that follows a fisherman who led a grassroots campaign after a mass die-off of crabs and lobsters following dredging on the river Tees. Tickets can be purchased here.
  

Adam Radage, a local swimmer and free diver, commented: "Hundreds of us swim off Greenbank, Flushing and Gylly all year round, and nobody has explained what this means for the water we swim in and our health. We're not asking for much. Test it properly, prove to us the right measures are in place to protect local people and wildlife, and let us have a say before a decision is made."

Earlier in the week, a group of engineers with floating offshore wind and marine backgrounds, including a former Pendennis Shipyard project manager, wrote an open letter to Jayne Kirkman MP questioning whether floating offshore wind justifies the capital dredging proposed at Falmouth Docks. They're concerned renewables are being used to front a scheme that is also serving cruise ships and national defence.