SCOTLAND’S green watchdog has been accused of allowing the “illegal operation” of a Scottish Water site which has polluted an East Lothian beach with sewage for a decade.
Leaks from Eastfield pumping station, run by Scottish Water, contributed to unsafe levels of E.coli and other bacteria in Musselburgh’s Fisherrow Sands, which lost its bathing water status in 2019 as a result.
The facility is monitored by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), but critics claim the green watchdog failed in its “legal duty” to take enforcement action – such as issue fines and report Scottish Water to the Procurator Fiscal – after years of problems.
