During World War II, defences were constructed around Druridge Bay as part of the anti-invasion preparations.

[1] Between the hamlets of Druridge and Cresswell, anti-glider ditches were dug and there is an extant brick-built decoy control.

The bay was the focus of a long-running campaign against proposals to construct a Pressurised Water Reactor nuclear power station during the 1980s and for the large-scale extraction of sand from the area in the 1990s.

[3] Druridge Bay again became the focus for environmental concerns in late 2015, when a planning application was submitted by Banks Group for an open-cast mine extending to 360 hectares (900 acres) immediately to the west of the beach, for the extraction of 3 million tonnes of coal.

The North East Skinny Dip, first held in 2012, is an annual event to raise funds for MIND, the mental health charity.