Scotland needs clean water
Wild swimmers heading out for a New Years Day dip today deserve better water quality, say the Scottish Greens.
According to the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland, over 30 billion litres of raw sewage was discharged from sewer overflows into Scotland’s waterways in 2024, with only one third of Scotland’s 4,083 sewer overflows being monitored.
Green spokesperson for environment Mark Ruskell MSP wants to see real improvements this year to ensure that more of Scotland’s bathing waters are safe for public use.
Mark said:
“Today, to bring in the new year, hundreds of people across the country will brave the elements and head out for a dip at their local beach or loch.
“But many of our waters are still far too polluted. Some of those classified as excellent have been tested and shown unsafe levels of E.Coli and other bacteria.
“These New Year’s Day dookers - and anyone who enjoys Scotland’s seas and lochs - should be able to swim or bathe in our waters safely, without fear of picking up illness or infection.
“Right now, Scottish Water only monitors one third of our sewer overflows. So, the 24,000 reported sewage spills in 2024 is likely to be the just tip of the iceberg.
“We cannot be kept in the dark about the full extent of spills and the damage this is doing to our seas and coasts.
“2026 must be the year that our government takes steps to improve our bathing waters for good, drastically increasing monitoring of overflow sites, investing in upgrades to our antiquated sewage system, and tackling those who are polluting our waters.”