Bathing ban at beaches following oil leak lifted ahead of warm weather

Warnings to stay out of the water at two beaches near Torness Nuclear Power Station following an oil leak have been lifted ahead of the weekend.

East Lothian Council says tests on the water quality at Thorntonloch and Skateraw beaches near the site have found zero evidence of oil.

People were warned not to bathe or fish in the area after an incidents at an electricity substation at Torness last weekend.

This afternoon the local authority said the advice was being lifted after samples came back clear. and they thanked the public for their patients over the week.

Tom Reid, head of infrastructure at East Lothian Council, said: “The situation continued to improve throughout the week, with a multi-agency team having been closely monitoring the situation.

“We are pleased that water sampling results have indicated zero traces of oil.

“We are very grateful to members of the public for their patience and understanding and are pleased that we can now lift the advice against people entering the water at Skateraw and Thorntonloch.”

The substation is operated by SP Energy Networks and located within the grounds of EDF’s Torness Power Station.

Stephen Kelly, Transmission Network Operations Manager for SP Energy Networks, said: “We’re very pleased to see the precautionary restrictions regarding Skateraw and Thorntonloch beaches now lifted.

“This is testament to the tremendous team effort we’ve seen from all agencies throughout the week and our thanks to everyone involved for their support and cooperation.

“Our focus is now on progressing our ongoing investigation into what happened.”