Mother's disgust at "raw sewage" leak on Sutherland beach
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A disgusted mother who had to lift her young daughter from “raw, stinking sewage” on a Sutherland beach is accusing Scottish Water of lying during investigations.
Scientist Susan Watt was visiting friends in Brora when she went for a walk with her two children, aged six and three, on sands south of the River Brora, known locally as the Back Shore.
Realising too late that her elder child was splashing in foul smelling liquid apparently seeping from a leaky outflow pipe, the woman had to react swiftly.
After the incident on Friday last week, she alerted Scottish Water and also called the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).
Investigations and analysis of samples from the site are ongoing, but a spokesman for Scottish Water claimed all indications were that decomposing seaweed had caused the stench.
Dr Watt, who has a PhD in ecology and works in environmental science, was furious at the suggestion she had misinterpreted the cause. The pipe, which carries general wastewater and overflow from a sewage pumping station, has a problematic history.
This newspaper reported in January how Scottish Water faced anger from fed up residents after neglecting to mend breakages in the pipe caused by storm damage the previous November. That damage was eventually repaired, as our pictures show.
But Dr Watt, who lives in the Inverness area, said: “There was raw sewage coming out of the pipe. They’re lying.
“I’m a professional in environmental science, so I do know what raw sewage is and I know what decomposing seaweed looks and smells like.
“That was filthy, grey raw sewage and it was coming from the pipe. I have a PhD in ecology and a Masters in environmental science, so they can’t insult me with that rubbish.”
Describing her horror at realising her daughter was at risk, Dr Watt stressed: “As visitors, we didn’t have local knowledge to make us wary of that spot. I thought it was an old, disused outfall. My girl jumped straight into it. It absolutely stank. There were no warning signs. It is completely out of order given the health risks and it is right there near the village.”
A spokesman for Scottish Water said: “After a possible leak was located on our outfall on the Back Shore earlier this week, we have carried out dye-testing. This has not given any indication that effluent is escaping.
“The natural breakdown of seaweed ... is a potential cause of discoloured water and sand evident along this stretch of coast and can also be associated with odour.
“We would like to apologise for the concern caused. We take reports of pollution seriously and we are carrying out further investigations until we can be certain that our initial findings are correct. If any leak is identified by further investigations, we will inform stakeholders and arrange for appropriate action to be taken.”
How the Northern Times reported previous leakage at Brora's Back Shore
