Lochs pollution

als was negligible and official did not want to waste more public funds.

When did that ever stop politicians wasting taxpayers’ money before?

Similarly, travellers illegally camp on private or council land, forcing the owner to take expensive court proceedings to remove them. In due course they move on, leaving behind a pile of unsavoury rubbish as didthepro-independenceprotesters and council tax payers foot the bill.

These people should have all or part of their welfare benefits stopped.

It can be done, since a recent press report said that six in ten criminals in Scotland are failing to pay off fines.

Since 2013, 384,843 “enforcement orders” to make offenders pay up have been granted by the courts, 21,125 earnings arrestment orders issued and, significantly, 85,400 benefit deduction orders have been granted.

These groups might in future think “benefits” before breaking the law.

CLARK CROSS Springfield Road, Linlithgow The shocking report from Sepa confirming that 45 Scottish lochs are polluted with toxins far above the allowable levels as a direct result of the salmon farming industry in their use of chemicals to eradicate diseases in farmed fish is nothing short of disgraceful.

This must now ring alarm bells in Holyrood and force the SNP administration to waken up to this problem, which they have persistently ignored for years by boasting about jobs and the salmon export trade.

Loch pollution at these levels is a price too high for an industry which is substantially controlled and owned by Norwegian companies. DENNIS FORBES GRATTAN Mugiemoss Road, Bucksburn