Cole-Hamilton: Does the First Minister mind ‘absolutely honking’ sewage dumps?  

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today asked the First Minister whether he minds that his government’s own water company is dumping huge volumes of sewage into Scotland’s rivers, lochs and seas, amid new research showing thousands of complaints from members of the public about the problem.

Research by the Scottish Liberal Democrats has revealed thousands of complaints about sewage across Scotland since 2022.

Speaking in the Scottish Parliament, Mr Cole-Hamilton asked the First Minister:

“Sanitary towels and wet wipes on the beach at North Berwick.

“Raw sewage in Gala.

“A beach covered in thick brown discharge in Dumfries and Galloway.

“The River Almond making swimmers sick.

“Paddle boarders covered in sewage in the River Tay.

“Today, on World Environment Day, the Scottish Liberal Democrats are publishing new research showing thousands of complaints from members of the public about sewage.

“Sewage that is, I quote, ‘absolutely honking’ in Dingwall.

“Presiding Officer, songs were written about Scotland being the land of the shining river.  

“Does the First Minister mind that his government’s own water company is dumping so much sewage into them?”

Responding to the First Minister, he went on to say:

“Last year, Scottish Water dumped sewage at least 24,400 times.

“The lack of monitoring means that’s only a fraction of what’s really going on.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats are calling for a new act of parliament, a Clean Water Act, to tackle this. Because under the SNP, communities are just expected to put up with it.

“Presiding Officer, last week, Thames Water got fined £100 million for sewage dumping.

“But there are never any consequences here in Scotland.

“Is that because the First Minister knows it is actually his government that’s at fault for this absolutely honking problem?”