Edinburgh sewage: Lib Dem Alex Cole-Hamilton accuses UK and Scottish governments of ignoring sewage scandal

Lib Dems call for sewage network upgrade and ban on discharges into bathing waters

Scottish Lib Dem leader and Edinburgh Western MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton says his party wants to see an upgrade of Scotland's Victorian sewage network. Picture: Lisa Ferguson

Scotland's "sewage scandal" - which saw more than 40,000 discharges into rivers and lochs in 2022 - is being ignored by ministers at both Holyrood and Westminster, Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has claimed.

He visited Cramond to inpsect the water quality in the River Almond following reports from residents claiming the water had become discoloured with "foaming and fungus" on its surface.

And Mr Cole-Hamilton, who is MSP for Edinburgh Western, said his party wanted to see a Clean Water Act introduced which would see the sewage network upgraded, as well as a new fund which would protect communities during extreme weather when sewage overflows are more likely.

The Act would also require every sewage dump to be monitored and published with binding targets for their reduction; establish a blue flag system for Scotland’s rivers; and introduce a complete ban on the release of sewage in protected areas such as bathing waters.  

Mr Cole-Hamilton said: "Neither the SNP nor the Tories seem to care about preserving the invaluable natural habitats on which we all depend and enjoy.

"SNP ministers have become spin doctors for the Government-owned water company that pockets bumper bonuses as our rivers and coastlines are destroyed.

"This country's sewage scandal is inextricably connected to the climate emergency: extreme weather increases the risk of sewage overflows. And, yet, we have a Prime Minister who has back-pedalled on key measures for reducing fossil fuels and a Scottish Government which repeatedly misses emissions targets.

"It's time to flush out the filth of SNP and Tory neglect. People are sick of governments mired in disinterest and inaction,"

The over 14,000 incidents of sewage being discharged into Scotland's rivers and lochs in 2022 was an increase from 10,799 in 2021. But Mr Cole-Hamilton, who was joined on his visit to the River Almond by deputy leader Wendy Chamberlain, said the numbers are likely to be much higher since just 4 per cent of sewage discharges are logged.

Last year, the party raised alarm after figures revealed 50 of 89 bathing waters in the country were deemed to contain unsafe levels of sewage.

The contamination is typically caused by heavy rain which leads to sewers to overflow or washes animal faeces from farms into the waters.

A Scottish Water spokesperson said: "87 per cent of Scotland's water bodies are in 'good' or better condition, among the best in Europe, and we continue to deliver improvements across our whole waste water system that deliver positive benefits for the environment, customers, and communities.

"Our programme of £2.7 billion investment in the past decade, with an additional £500 million to improve monitoring and infrastructure, will help meet even higher standards.

"We have a clear plan, which we have shared with Mr Cole-Hamilton when he visited our waste water treatment works on the River Almond last year.

"A programme to install 1,000 new monitors by December 2024 remains on track, with 230 monitor installations having taken place in 2023.

"A parallel programme to improve the monitoring network in more than 180 wastewater catchment areas using new technology is already delivering results, with an additional 229 monitors and alarms installed 'upstream' and 40 potential pollution incidents being proactively prevented.

"We recognise that what can be released intermittently into Scotland's waters is a concern to people and we are playing our part in fully informing the public about this.

"Around 99 per cent of overflows is rain water, surface water, road run-off, grey water, infiltration of groundwater and trade effluent. The system is designed to operate in a way that prevents blockages and flooding our homes, businesses, and communities."

The Scottish and UK governments were asked for comment.