Cold water thrown on ‘plastic free town’ bid Callander people told to travel 16 miles for top up tap

Requests for a topup water tap to help turn Callander into a plastic-free town have been refused because there is already one in Stirling – 16 miles away.

The Observer reported last month how plans are afoot to turn Callander into the plastic-free ‘outdoor capital’ of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park.

Paul Fraser has started an initiative to reduce the amount of single-use plastic being used in the town, and a working group is to be set up to tackle the issue.

The 34-year-old Callander resident, a marine biologist working on the River Clyde, has turned his attention closer to home and is leading the project in his own time.

As a means of reducing the amount of single-use plastic being sold in the town, Mr Fraser suggested to Scottish Water that it install one of its top-up taps in the town.

Mr Fraser had conducted research on the Scottish Water and its ‘Your Water Your Life’ campaign before requesting one for the town.

However, Scottish Water bosses have refused the request, saying that, at present, it can only install one in each council area but Callander will be added to a list of potential locations to receive one in the future.

A Scottish Water Spokesperson said: “Scottish Water is currently focused on delivering one top-up tap per local authority across Scotland. We have received a request for a top-up tap to be located in Callander. This request will be included for potential future locations alongside other locations where the community has expressed an interest.”

Mr Fraser says that the installation of a tap in Callander would ‘be one that would complement the ‘plastic-free Callander’ initiative’.

He added: “I was encouraged by the Scottish Water website which stated that a top-up tap is planned for the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. I therefore contacted Scottish Water to suggest that the ideal location for the tap within the national park would be Callander the ‘outdoor capital’ of the park.

“Unfortunately, the response, although extremely polite, didn’t fill me with confidence that Scottish Water agreed with the suggested location of Callander.”

He added: “I’ve since been informed that the suggestion has now been added to a ‘tracker’ and the case will be reviewed in due course.

“I can only hope that Scottish Water consider what the people of Callander are trying to achieve and hopefully they feel that they can positively contribute to the campaign against single-use plastic in Callander.

“Not only would this further the plastic-free scheme in Callander but it would also benefit the local people, environment, and nationally important river ecosystem.”

Stirling Tory MP, Stephen Kerr, who has backed the plastic-free initiative, said Scottish Water should focus on ‘a far more ambitious target than putting in one tap only in each of the thirty two council areas’. He added: “I’m extremely surprised that Scottish Water expect it to be taken seriously with such a complacent response. When you have groups of local people trying to do something positive for their environment and they get knocked back with lame excuses like this it just makes everyone pretty angry. Scottish

I’m extremely surprised Scottish Water expect to be taken seriously with such a complacent response. Stephen Kerr MP

Water should be taking a lead on this issue rather than becoming part of the problem.”

The top up tap in Port Street, Stirling, appeared a number of weeks ago but has yet to be put in to use.