Work starts on scheme to clean up water at popular Fife beach

The move has been welcomed by local residents who have praised Scottish Water and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency for involving them – and keeping them informed about what is happening.

The £830,000 project will see a combined sewer overflow tank at Eastgate, which is used to collect sewage as well as excess rainwater replaced with a much bigger tank.

The move came about after SEPA monitoring of bathing water quality at Kinghorn beach showed that one of the five monitoring points had recorded small quantities of human waste.

Investigations revealed that, during an odd occasion of heavy rain, the tank, which is supposed to store excess water separately from sewage, had failed to cope with the volume, and some effluent had leaked into the burn, causing minor pollution.

Roy Mackie, vice chairman of the Royal Burgh of Kinghorn Community Council, said: “This has been a very positive process which will hopefully see a big improvement in the bathing water.

“Preparatory work has already been carried out and when the programme starts in a few weeks there will be a bit of disruption.

“Scottish Water has involved ourselves and groups like the rowing and sailing clubs as well as residents, and it has been a great example of how agencies should engage with the public.”

Work starts on May 8 and will last three months

Scott Fraser, Scottish Water’s corporate affairs regional manager, said: “This will ensure the bathing water is improved with the installation of a new sewer outfall pipe and storage tank.

“The main bulk of the project will be around the garages at Eastgate, and the park. The existing combined sewer overflow has now reached the end of its life and this replacement will ensure we can continue to deliver reliable, resilient and sustainable waste water services.

“We would like to thank the local community for their patience and understanding during this work.”