Fiefdoms of filth: Scottish Lib Dems unveil new sewage league table

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today unveiled the new SNP/Green sewage league table, ranking government ministers by how many hours sewage dumps lasted in their constituencies and regions in 2023.

Among constituency MSPs, sewage was dumped for 22,387 hours in Argyll & Bute- the constituency of Minister for Public Health, Jenni Minto. Minister for the Environment, Mairi McAllan, oversaw 19,550 hours of dumping in her Clydesdale constituency, while Health Secretary Neil Gray oversaw 8,319 hours of sewage dumping in his Airdrie & Shotts constituency.

Among regional MSPs, minister Emma Roddick saw sewage dumped for the longest amount of time, 39,396 hours, in her Highlands and Islands region.

Leader of the Scottish Green Party, Patrick Harvie, saw the greatest volume of sewage dumps, with 6,363,898 m³ of sewage dumped in his Glasgow region, the equivalent of more than 2,500 Olympic swimming pools. Humza Yousaf also saw a staggering 1,526,743 m³ of sewage dumped in his Glasgow Pollok constituency.

These figures are likely to be underestimates because only a small proportion of discharges from the Scottish sewage network are monitored.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

“SNP and Green ministers have presided over fiefdoms of filth.

“I think constituents of SNP and Green MSPs would be shocked to know that their representatives are sitting idle while massive amounts of sewage are dumped in their communities for hours on end. While they do nothing, customers are facing huge price rises from the government-owned water company and its executives are pocketing bumper bonuses.

“To make matters worse, a tiny proportion of sewage pipes are properly monitored, so the true picture is probably even grubbier.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats know that this is a scandal afflicting every corner of the country, and that’s why my party have published plans for a Clean Water Act that would see vital updates to our sewage network and a clamp down on discharges.

“Whether it’s in Glasgow, the Borders or the North East, our parliamentarians and campaigners will continue putting pressure on the government to clean up its act.”