The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Answers demanded as clear-up begins of second major oil spill
Demand made to find out if incident is linked to earlier ones this year along nearby coastline
A clean-up operation has been launched after a second oil spill to pollute the Fife coastline in just six months.
The source of this week’s leak at North Queensferry is under investigation.
It came after a major spill just a few miles further along the coast at Limekilns in February.
The polluter responsible for that incident, which cost the taxpayer around £600,000 to clear up, is yet to be established.
MSP Shirley-Anne Somerville, who pressed for action to pinpoint where the oil had come from, questioned whether the two cases were linked.
The Dunfermline and West Fife member said: “Oil spills can have a significant impact on the natural environment.
“This comes just months after a major oil spill in nearby Limekilns.
“Samples should be compared in order to determine whether these two incidents are linked in any way.
“A significant period of time has now passed since the spill in Limekilns. However, the source of the oil is yet to be identified.”
Fife Council, environment agency Sepa and Forth Ports launched a probe as news of the spill emerged on Monday.
The incident is said to be more localised than that which saw the beaches at Limekilns and Charlestown closed to the public for several weeks.
Council service manager Bill Liddle said: “Our oil spill response team Briggs Marine are starting clean-up operations today (Tuesday).
“The area affected is confined to the coastline between Forth Road Bridge and Queensferry Crossing.
“At this stage we don’t know how long the clean-up will take.
“We’re working with partner organisations Sepa and Forth Ports to investigate possible sources of the oil spill at North Queensferry.”
A Sepa spokeswoman confirmed the agency’s officers were continuing to look into the source.
Around 500 tonnes of waste were removed during the Limekilns and Charlestown operation.
As the polluter is yet to be identified the council had to soak up the six-figure cost.
“Samples should be compared in order to determine whether these two incidents are linked in any way. MSP SHIRLEY-ANNE SOMERVILLE