The shocking 3,500 hidden sewage dumps at Scotland's rivers, lochs and beaches revealed

The “scandal of sewage dumping” in Scotland is worse than previously thought, as revised figures from Scottish Water show there were 15 per cent more discharges last year than initially published.

Updated figures, published by Scottish Water on 26 June, show there were 25,109 sewage dumps in Scotland in 2023 - an increase of almost 3,500 from the 21,660 originally reported in March and more than double the number of dumps recorded in 2020. 

The duration of these sewage dumps was 242,367 hours.

Sewage overflows in Scotland are legal in “exceptional circumstances” such as during periods of unusually heavy rainfall. But in 2022 untreated sewage was discharged at least 14,008 times for 113,230 hours - a huge increase on the 2023 figures.

However, only a small fraction of Scottish Water’s sewage outflows are monitored - believed to be around 10 per cent - meaning the true scale of Scotland’s sewage pollution is unknown. This is in sharp contrast to England and Wales, where nearly all storm overflows are monitored.

SEPA has lifted advice against swimming at Portobello Beach

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: "The scandal of sewage dumping in our rivers, lochs and beaches seems to be ever growing in Scotland. 

"Even this new figure of over 25,000 sewage dumps is likely to be a huge underestimate, as unlike England where almost every overflow point is monitored, only a small fraction are monitored in Scotland.

"SNP ministers have defended this for too long. Millions of litres of sewage are being dumped into our rivers, lochs and beaches.”

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have proposed plans for a Clean Water Act for Scotland to update the sewage network, to install complete monitoring systems to find all the dumping, and ban the “filthy practice” in protected areas such as bathing waters.

The call comes following the closure of Portobello Beach in Edinburgh this month, after the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) found e. coli and intestinal enterococci in the bathing water, due to a sewage dump.  Similar warnings were put in place for six days in July last year due to a waste water pump malfunction.

Chris Murray, the new Labour MP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, said urgent action was needed to deal with sewage ending up in waters around the city.

Mr Murray wrote to the Scottish Government’s net zero secretary Gillian Martin, saying more monitoring of sewage outflows was needed.

He said: “Water policy is fully devolved in Scotland. All strategic and financial decisions on water in Scotland for the last 17 years have been taken by your party. Scottish Water is a publicly owned water company and Sepa is under your ministerial remit.”

Mr Murray added: “I am willing to share with you any suggestions and ideas my party has to improve water quality. I am concerned the Scottish Government is missing in action on this issue.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said Sepa assessed 87 per cent of waterbodies in Scotland as having ‘high’ or ‘good’ water quality, up from 82 per cent six years ago.

“Overflows from sewers are wastewater, which has been highly diluted by rainwater, and which normally consists of less than one per cent toilet waste,” the spokesperson said. “To suggest otherwise is a misrepresentation.

“Scottish Water is taking action and is committing up to £500m to improve water quality, increase monitoring of the highest priority waters and tackle debris and spills.

“This includes a commitment to install at least 1,000 new monitors on the network by the end of 2024. Good progress is being made, with around 800 having already been installed by the end of March.”