A Fife beach faces having its clean bathing water status stripped over contamination from a sewage leak, the cause of which remains a mystery.
Kinghorn Beach sits along the Fife Coastal Path and is popular among dog walkers, but swimmers have been warned not to bathe after traces of E. coli were found in the water.
The sewage leak was first reported in 2016, and more than ten years on, Scottish Water is no closer to finding out what is causing it.
The ongoing issue is now threatening the beach’s clean bathing water status, which is at risk of being pulled in the coming weeks.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) could be forced to de-designate Kinghorn’s bathing water status due to health risks posed by pollution if it receives a fifth consecutive ‘poor’ rating this year.
STV NewsWith the sewer lines running for around 10 kilometres under the town, Scottish Water bosses have said Kinghorn presents a “fairly unique” challenge.
Speaking to STV News, chief executive Alex Plant admitted that, despite thorough investigations, they have not been able to trace the source of the sewage.
He said: “The issue is there is some sort of contamination coming into the burn upstream of here, and our teams have been out surveying about 2,000 metres through CCTV surveys, using dye to understand where the contamination is coming from, looking through all the manholes and understanding what it is.
“We haven’t yet found the problem.”
Residents of Kinghorn recently met with Mr Plant to discuss their concerns about the ongoing impact of the contamination on the town and its beach.
STV NewsThe CEO was also presented with a petition containing over 1,000 signatures demanding that Scottish Water take action on the issue.
Melanie Ward, MP for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy, said: “Obviously, the fact this has been going on for years is unacceptable. Scottish Water has said they will fix the problem whatever it takes.
“We want that to happen as quickly as possible because the situation is intolerable, it makes people ill, it’s bad, and it’s bad for the local economy as well.”
Allan Mcilravie, a former Provost of the town, said residents first learned of the issue from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, which had changed the sewage limits, bringing Kinghorn over the threshold.
He said the issue was a “professional embarrassment”, but that has was “comforted” by the visit and what he heard from Mr Plant.
If the root cause can eventually be found by Scottish Water, it might be a quick fix. But if not, a wider survey is required, which would take a year.
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