Chairman of scandal-hit water regulator quits

Responding to the resignation of the chairman of the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, after the body came under fire for various financial failings, including spending on gift cards that breached tax and public finance rules and a £77,000 Harvard training course for a senior executive, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

“Scotland’s entire system of water regulation is a shambles. The Scottish Government-owned water company was allowed to dump sewage more than 25,000 times last year.

“Scotland urgently needs watchdogs that will get tough when it comes to raising and enforcing standards. The Scottish Liberal Democrats would bring forward a new Clean Water Act to clamp down on the dumping of filthy sewage around our rivers, lochs and coasts.

“The Scottish Government should also be up front about whether Mr MacRae will receive a payout following his resignation.”