£20m stench legal action is dropped

A £20 MILLION legal challenge to win compensation for those who claim they suffer from the stench from Seafield sewage works has been dropped due to disclosure laws in Scotland.

Lawyers acting on behalf of residents living around Leith Links say it is impossible to access the information needed to make a claim against Stirling Water, who run the plant.

Legal firm Hugh James & Lawford - who spent thousands of pounds trying to build a case - said that unlike in England and Wales, where firms must provide information needed for a court case, laws in Scotland had made it "extremely unlikely to secure the documents required".

No legal action has been taken, although there is no suggestion Stirling Water has done anything wrong.

Rob Kirkwood, of Leith Links residents' association, said they would now launch a campaign to change the law.