While the east coast has some stunning and beautiful beaches, the waters are not as clean as they might appear. Spots like Portobello Beach are popular with swimmers and water sports enthusiasts, however, high levels of the dangerous bacteria E.coli have been found in the bathing waters. Some Edinburgh beaches are so polluted that locals have been warned not to swim.
We looked at data analysing water samples taken from May to September last year, by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency. Here are the beaches with the dirtiest water near you.
. Fisherrow Sands
This beach, which is situated between the Joppa area of Edinburgh and the East Lothian town of Musselburgh, is one of the beaches with the poorest water quality. Locals were previously warned not to swim at the beach, after it received a 'poor'' rating for five years in a row. However, Fisherrow Sands has recently been re-designated as an official bathing water by SEPA. Photo: Keep Scotland Beautiful
1. Fisherrow Sands
This beach, which is situated between the Joppa area of Edinburgh and the East Lothian town of Musselburgh, is one of the beaches with the poorest water quality. Locals were previously warned not to swim at the beach, after it received a 'poor'' rating for five years in a row. However, Fisherrow Sands has recently been re-designated as an official bathing water by SEPA. Photo: Keep Scotland Beautiful
2. Yellowcraig Beach
Yellowcraigs Beach in North Berwick is one of the worst beaches in Edinburgh and the Lothians for cleanliness and water quality. Last year, on August 9, a high e.coli level of 1800 cfu was found in a water sample from the beach. The bathing waters are currently rated as 'sufficient' by SEPA, but in previous years, the quality was found to be 'poor'. Photo: .National World
3. Portobello (West)
This beach is a popular swimming spot, however, it is one of the least clean near Edinburgh. A recent SEPA report found that "human sources are contributing to faecal pollution of the bathing water" at Portobello. The environmental agency has rated the bathing waters as 'sufficient'. Photo: LISA FERGUSON
4. North Berwick (Milsey Bay)
Milsey Bay in the East Lothian town of North Berwick is a beautiful sandy beach, however, swimmers might want to avoid this spot. SEPA rated the bathing waters 'sufficient' and warned locals of the risks of wet weather driven pollution. Photo: Pat Christie