A POPULAR beach in Fife risks losing its official bathing water status due to health risks caused by pollution.
Kinghorn Beach faces a fifth consecutive year of poor water quality ratings, which are linked to E. coli contamination.
Just last month, The National reported how members of the public were warned to avoid entering the water at the beach following the discovery of “localised pollution”.
Scotland's environment watchdog, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), could de-designate the site unless improvements are made.
Scottish Water has until the end of the year to find a solution.
The water company said the issue stems from a burn running beneath Kinghorn, which is leaking human waste onto the beach.
Scottish Water waste director Simon Parson told STV News that 2000 metres in an area of the network where pollution is most likely to come from has been surveyed using cameras.
So far, three small defects have been fixed, and officials have also put dye into toilets in local households to trace where it comes out of the system.
Parson said: “We’ve been forensically looking at infrastructure, sewer networks and burns underneath the town to try and find leaky sewers and where that sewerage could be getting into the water source.
“We’re committed to working with Sepa and the local community to do what we can to continue to make improvements in the bathing water in future. If there is de-designation, we’ll highly support that work.”
A Sepa spokesperson said the agency is working with Scottish Water, Fife Council, NHS Fife and Fife Coast and Countryside Trust in response to ongoing localised pollution pressure.
The spokesperson said: “Scottish Water has advised Sepa of its ongoing investigations to confirm the source of pollution impacting the Burn and the bathing water.
“We will continue to undertake water sampling at Kinghorn bathing water throughout the bathing water season, as well as sampling to understand the pollution sources in the catchment.
“Sepa are continuing to explore all appropriate regulatory measures available through its enforcement policy and guidance as well as relevant legislation.”
There are more than 80 designated bathing waters across Scotland. Click here to see a full list.
