Sewage spills in Fife: councillors to summon Scottish Water for explanation over 193 spills into Kingdom waters

The motion from Councillor James Calder (Lib-Dem) gained cross party support on Thursday. Overflow data from Scottish Water revealed that more than nine million litres of raw sewage spilled into Fife’s River Eden, Forth Estuary and the North Sea in 2022. However, Cllr Calder said it’s not the full picture.

“In Scotland only 4% of sewage overflows are monitored, which means we don't even have a full picture of what’s going on,” he said.

As a result, he put forward a motion to address the concerns in a letter to Scottish Water. An SNP amendment - which Cllr Calder was “happy to accept” - will instead request a meeting with Scottish Water representatives.

“Rather than a letter, let’s invite them to a meeting,” SNP member Councillor David Barratt said.

The data from Scottish Water indicates three main areas of concern in Fife. Raw sewage spills were recorded in Cupar’s Haugh Park, Ironmill Bay near Charlestown and Crombie; and St Andrews Bruce Embankment as well as St Andrews Harbour.

As regards the River Eden, Cllr Calder spoke to members from the River Eden Source to Sea Sustainability Project who provided him with insights.

“There are a number of other pollution issues, but a significant proportion of the problem has been sewage pollution discharged into the water. In recent years this has had a massive impact,” he said.

“Farmers are concerned about E.coli on their salad crops. That is the salad crops we eat. The River Eden is an important water source for them.”

Part of the problem is an ageing sewage system built upon 20th century standards. However, he said it’s an issue that needs to be tackled.

The council will request a meeting with Scottish Water representatives to discuss concerns and solutions.