Faults in monitoring of sewage dumping not recorded, say Scottish Liberal Democrats

The Scottish Government is facing calls to “plug the holes” in Scotland’s sewage dumping system after it was claimed Scottish Water does not record the number of faults affecting its monitoring equipment.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats said updated figures published on Scottish Water’s website showed there were 25,109 sewage dumps in Scotland in 2023, more than double the number of dumps recorded in 2020.

The party’s analysis of figures showed there were 670 overflows in 2023 with permanent event duration monitoring – a process which tracks the frequency and duration of the overflows.

Out of these, 84.5% lacked a full 365 days’ worth of 2023 data, however, totalling 150,000 days of missing data.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats claim when they asked Scottish Water for the number of faults with event duration monitors since 2020, the organisation replied it did not record the numbers of faults or the reasons for them.

Party leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “Scotland is still lagging miles behind England on sewage monitoring.

“To make matters worse, we’ve uncovered that existing monitors aren’t working round-the-clock and that Scottish Water doesn’t record how many are faulty.

“Communities across Scotland will be rightly worried that they do not have the full picture around sewage dumping. Scottish ministers need to stop their excuses and get tough on sewage dumping by the government-owned water company.

“They should ensure that going forward they plug the holes in their data and urgently accelerate efforts to ensure that every sewage dump in Scotland is monitored and recorded.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats have published plans for a Clean Water Act that would see a new blue flag system for Scotland’s rivers, as well as vital updates to our sewage network and a clamp down on discharges.”

Acting net zero Secretary Gillian Martin said: “Scotland’s waterways are in good condition – with 86.5% of our water environment classified by SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency) as high or good quality.

“Whilst we are not complacent and want to see this improve further, aiming for 100% monitoring of our waterways will not improve their quality as a standalone measure.

“Instead, Scottish Water has carried out a comprehensive environmental study on water quality, so that it can prioritise investment according to the locations most in need. This is the correct approach given so many of our waterways are already in good condition.”

A Scottish Water spokesperson: “We are monitoring more overflows than ever before, providing more information than ever before, and we have invested more than ever before in our waste water network to improve our water environment and continue efforts to preserve and protect Scotland’s water environment.

“Scottish Water installed 1,000 new monitors on overflows last year, taking monitoring coverage to over 30% by the end of 2024. The monitors will give us unprecedented levels of intelligence about how overflows are performing.

“We are always making improvements to ensure our activities are as open and transparent as they can be. We have invested, and continue to invest, significantly in intelligent monitoring of our waste water network. Another 700 monitors are to be installed this year.”