Seven beaches in Scotland fail clean water tests

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Seven beaches in Scotland have failed to meet the minimum clean water standards set for Europe, and are among 25 coastal resort areas in the UK reported having water of a quality unacceptable for bathing.

The results are forcing the UK government to become involved in stepping up coastline cleanup efforts.

Scottish beaches that ended up on the “dirty” list are and Aberdeen, Rosehearty and Cruden Bay in Aberdeenshire; Machrihanish in Argyll and Bute; Portobello Central in Edinburgh; Saltcoats/Adrossan in North Ayrshire; and Sandyhills in Dumfries and Galloway.

South-west England had the largest number of beaches failing the cleanliness tests, while Scotland came in second.

Too much rain was cited as a major reason for the results, as pollution was washed into bathing and swimming areas.

A spokesman for the government said: “We’re working to improve sewerage systems and are aware of the effect heavy rain and flooding can have on our coastal bathing waters.”

He noted that the draft Flood and Water Management Bill contains new national standards for sewer connections, which would reduce the volume of water that reaches sewerage treatment works. This would reduce the risk of overflows, and in turn, of pollution reaching the country’s beaches.

The spokesman added: “Heavy rainfall or stormy weather can temporarily affect bathing water quality as the flow of water washes pollution into rivers and coastal waters through the sewage network, and increases run-off from farmland and urban streets.”

Thanks to news.scotsman.com for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

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