Scotland's precious waterways are under threat.
Every year, millions of tons of raw sewage gets dumped into our rivers – and, frankly, we’re in the dark about the scale of the problem.
Music legend Feargal Sharkey has done a great job raising this issue in England.
Now he’s doing the same in Scotland, as we reveal today – warning the situation up here could be even worse.
It’s time we paid attention – because we have no idea how bad it really is.
Stats show the equivalent of 14,000 Olympic swimming pools of human waste was spewed into Scottish waters via storm drains in 2021… that we know of.
But this is likely just the tip of a smelly iceberg – because in nearly half of cases, the amount of sewage discharged wasn’t recorded.
And staggeringly, we only monitor four per cent of our storm drains in the first place – compared with an 89 per cent coverage rate south of the Border.
Sharkey is right to highlight these glaring gaps in our surveillance – how are we supposed to tackle the problem if we don’t find out how bad it is?
It’s time for action from our politicians to tackle sewage pollution in our waters.
New First Minister Humza Yousaf has begun setting up his ministerial team – and whoever ends up taking the environment brief will need to get a grip of this crisis and fast.
Because our beautiful waters should remain a source of pride – not sullied with sewage.
Can youth do it?
The Scottish Government Cabinet will, for the first time, have a majority of women among its members.
That is a significant moment in the history of devolution – and arguably as much a landmark as Humza Yousaf becoming the first Muslim First Minster.
But there is also a remarkable injection of youthful vigour into Humza’s top team.
The average age of the new Cabinet is just 44. It’s welcome to see some new faces have been promoted.
There can be no doubt the Scottish Government needs some fresh thinking.
Too many departments – including vital areas like health and education – have seemed stuck in a rut in recent years.
It was leadership contender Kate Forbes – who has now quit to return to the backbenches – who described the SNP government as mediocre.
It remains to be seen whether this new crew will improve on that assessment.
Some critics have suggested there are too many professional politicians around the table who have little or no experience of working in other sectors.
Others say many at the top table are there through loyalty to the new First Minister rather than innate talent.
Let’s hope the fresh faces on show don’t leave us lacking real expertise on the big issues.
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