Flagship beaches losing their shine
Anger after pollution levels hit 50 times safe limit following recent storms and heavy rain
SWIMMERS were warned to stay out of the water at a popular beach after sewage levels were found to be 50 times the safe limit.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said Silver Sands at Aberdour, Fife, was one of the country’s most polluted beaches.
Nearby Black Sands was found to have 14 times the safe level of sewage during a routine sampling on August 17, while beaches at Kirkcaldy, Burntisland, Kinghorn and Leven were also polluted.
Sepa said no cause had been found but it is believed heavy rain during recent storms caused sewers to overflow and animal waste to be washed off the land.
It added that bacteria levels had since reduced significantly and warning signs had been removed.
But Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath Nationalist MP Neale Hanvey said he was frustrated that he was not told four beaches in his constituency had breached safety limits.
He has written to Sepa requesting an immediate update and demanded that elected representatives be kept informed in future.
He said: ‘It’s simply not good enough for the community and local representatives to be left in the dark about such a serious level of sewage pollution.
‘This is exactly the kind of thing that MPs, MSPs and councillors can help communicate to the local community.’
Annabelle Ewing, Nationalist MSP for Cowdenbeath, said: ‘I have been in touch with Sepa looking for an update from them about what is being done to establish the cause of the pollution and what steps are being taken to pursue any relevant remedial action.’
Calum McPhail, bathing water unit manager at Sepa, said: ‘Due to the Covid-19 emergency this year, Scotland’s 2020 bathing season was confirmed by the Scottish Government as being between July 15 and September 15.
‘During this shortened season, we aim to sample water quality at bathing waters across Scotland to check that conditions are as expected according to the overall classification.’
He added: ‘One of the biggest impacts on water quality at bathing waters is due to the weather, especially heavy rain such as Scotland experienced last week.
‘Bathing is not advised during, or one to two days after, heavy rainfall as there is a risk water pollution may occur. This is as a result of urban and agricultural run-off and sewerage sources.
‘All advice against bathing and poor results in 2020 so far at our designated bathing waters have been as a result of the recent wet weather.
‘Sepa’s electronic signs and website provide real-time water quality predictions to the public and were used to provide advice against bathing for this reason.’
In 2019, bathing waters were tested at 86 locations at the start of the swimming season in May. A total of 28 were found to be rated ‘excellent’, 35 as ‘good’, 13 as ‘sufficient’ and ten poor.