Nearly three quarters of Scots are less likely to wild swim in the country’s waterways because of concern over sewage leaks, a poll shows.
The Savanta survey for the Liberal Democrats found 73 per cent of people who say they swim often in rivers, lakes and seas are less likely to do so now due to waste pollution. That figure rose to 77 per cent for the UK as a whole.
It comes amid growing anger on both sides of the border over sewage flowing into the environment, including into protected sites and designated bathing waters. However, Scotland’s environment watchdog this week claimed Scots had more ‘excellent’ rated bathing waters to enjoy this summer than ever before.
The poll by Savanta, which spoke to 2275 Brits between March 31 and April 3, found around a fifth of Scots who say they often or sometimes wild swim. We previously told how wastewater was pumped into Scotland’s rivers a record-breaking 14,000 times in 2022 - a rate of nearly 40 incidents per day.
It’s only supposed to happen in storm conditions.
But the scale of the problem could be far worse than reported, as only 4 per cent of sewer overflows are monitored in Scotland, compared to around nine in ten in England.
Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “Unrivalled waters and stunning coastlines are some of the most enjoyable things about living in Scotland. But that source of pleasure is coming under increasing threat.
“There were more than 14,000 sewage overflows in Scotland last year alone and the true figure is likely to be much higher given only one in 20 dumping pipes are actually monitored. No wonder people are thinking twice before dipping their toes in.
“Scottish Liberal Democrats are leading the calls for legally-binding targets to reduce sewage dumping, a complete ban on the practice around Scotland’s best beaches, comprehensive monitoring and faster upgrades to our Victorian sewage network.”
Scottish Water insists most of the sewage spilled in storm conditions is not toilet waste but chiefly excess rainwater and so-called “grey water” from household appliances such as washing machines.
The publicly-owned water company is also aiming to install 1000 more monitors on storm drains across Scotland’s 32,000-mile sewer network by the end of next year.
On Wednesday, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) hailed the introduction of two new bathing waters ahead of the 2023 summer season - giving Scotland 89, its most ever.
Net Zero Secretary Mairi McAllan confirmed the designations for Wardie Bay in Edinburgh and Fisherrow Sands in East Lothian after they met cleanliness targets.
The SNP minister said: “As a result of our investment in protecting and improving bathing waters across Scotland we now have the highest number of designated Bathing Water sites ever, with 98 per cent passing bathing water quality standards and more rated as ‘excellent’ than ever before.
“However, we are not complacent. We continue to work closely with Sepa and Scottish Water to monitor and improve water quality on our designated beaches and in our designated lochs.”
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