Cole-Hamilton criticises state of sewage monitoring

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has called on the SNP and Greens to get tough with Scottish Water as it was revealed that in three local authorities there is no monitoring of sewage dumping at all and in ten more local authorities just one or two sites are monitored.

Across Scotland there were 21,660 sewage dumps in 2023, however in Dundee, East Dunbartonshire and Edinburgh there is no data on how much sewage is being dumped as no sewage outflows in these local authorities are monitored.

In a further 10 local authorities (Angus, Clackmannanshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Moray, Orkney, Shetland, South Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire) there are only one or two overflow points where sewage dumping is being monitored.

Previously, Scottish Liberal Democrats had uncovered data on the number of public complaints about sewage dumping, which revealed there were 262 complaints about sewage being dumped between 2022 and 2023 in Edinburgh, Lothians and Borders.

Scottish Liberal Democrats have announced plans for a Clean Water Act which would see:

• Scotland’s Victorian sewage network updated;  
• Every sewage dump monitored and published with binding targets for their reduction;  
• A blue flag system for Scotland’s rivers;    
• A complete ban on the release of sewage in protected areas such as bathing waters.  

Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

“Across Scotland we know there were more than 21,000 sewage spills last year but that is likely to be a significant underestimate because only a tiny proportion of the network is monitored. People are being kept in the dark about the true scale of the problem.

“I was shocked when I found out that no monitoring was taking place in Edinburgh and other local authorities across Scotland. Local people and campaign groups have seen it happening and the filthy consequences. They deserve to know how often sewage is being pumped into our rivers and waterways.

"To make matters worse, while our waterways are destroyed, customers are facing huge price rises from the government-owned water company and its executives are pocketing bumper bonuses.

“SNP and Green ministers must stop being spin doctors for these outdated sewage standards and get tough with the government-owned water company.

“To turn the tide on this scandal, Scottish Liberal Democrats have published plans for a Clean Water Act that would see vital updates to our sewage network and a clamp down on discharges."