For more than 50 years, all day, every day, menacing clouds of acrid smog belched into the sky. It was the constant backdrop for families in the two estates in the South Tyneside town of Hebburn which bordered the Monkton Lane Coke Works.
While the dirty work of processing coal into smokeless coal (or coke) went on non-stop in the plant, the constant flow of grime it created pervaded every aspect of its neighbours’ lives.
Soot would seep into all corners of their homes, staining kids’ toys, spoiling washing on the line and coating bedding. When surfaces were wiped clean, a fresh layer of muck would soon replace it.
