Pub faces clean-up order over river mess

THE owner of a city pub undergoing a revamp been ordered to clean up his act after debris was found dumped on a riverbank.

• The debris was found in the Water of Leith at the Bonnington Bridge Bar

Wood and building materials from the Bonnington Bridge Bar ended up discarded on the banks of the Water of Leith, while firefighters have been called to deal with rubbish fires.

The council's environmental wardens, along with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, investigated and have demanded the bar's owner, businessman and former Scotland rugby international Norrie Rowan, takes action.

Mr Rowan, who recently bought the Newhaven Road bar and began a refurbishment, has blamed local youths.

He said: "We were contacted by environmental wardens who said we were not allowed to burn waste on the site, but I wasn't aware of this. We always used a drum when we burned materials, but we have stopped this now.

"Some kids were throwing wood and concrete into the Water of Leith last weekend, which created a lot of the mess on the riverbank, and now we have cleaned this up.

"We have put a lot of building materials on the site in recent weeks, but this is going to be used to improve the building. The site looked ten times better than before we started the work."

The pub is due to reopen in the spring. Mr Rowan said it would have an outdoor area so that customers could enjoy the scenery and the Anthony Gormley statue in the area.

Helen Brown, trust manager at the Water of Leith Conservation Trust, said: "We informed the council when building started because we were concerned about the mess. When the water rises it carries debris down the river.

"We had only just undertaken a huge clean-up in the area so it is disappointing to see it looking so awful. If a place looks like a dumping ground, people will use it as a dumping ground."

A council spokeswoman said: "Environmental wardens have been to the site to investigate and have been in touch with the proprietor about the large volume of waste. Because the land is privately owned and because of the condition of the building, the Health and Safety Executive and Sepa have also been made aware of the issue."

A fire service spokesman said crews had been called to two blazes at the site this month. He added: "Firefighters extinguished both fires but setting uncontrolled fires can be dangerous."