From BBC Scotland, first thing today:
An environmental charity has claimed that sewage was discharged into Scotland’s seas for more than 113 000 hours last year.
The Marine Conservation Society is the charity in question.
In March 2023, the Daily Record reported:
Sewage dumped in Scotland’s rivers 14,000 times in 2022 – nearly 40 times a day
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/sewage-dumped-scotlands-rivers-14000-29592391
Also in March 2023, BBC UK had:
Water companies released raw sewage into rivers and seas in England for more than 1.75 million hours last year.
There were an average of 825 sewage spills into waterways per day, the data shows – down 19% on the previous year.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-65099906
So, ‘nearly 40 times a day‘ in Scotland but ‘825 per day in England?‘ Pro rata, more than twice as common.
A claimed (not actually measured) 113 000 hours in Scotland and an actual 1.75 million in England. Pro rata, 55% higher in England.
While we’re on water, remember this:
Talking-up Scotland 
The ”discharge of sewage in Scotland ” – does this include the daily discharges from the English Unionist press posing as Scottish newspapers ?
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Apologies for the long response –
The “shocking” BBC Scotland headline is on instruction from London, “make smoke”, to cover increasing Tory embarrassment as public anger in England rises.
HMS James Cook has now helpfully posted an article “Scotland’s river sewage must be more closely monitored – charity” https://archive.ph/m6bpv – Worth reading for the mischievous interplay and context and numbers between UK and Scotland –
“The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) says raw sewage was known to have been flushed into rivers and seas for 113,000 hours last year.”
Then further down-
“But analysis by the MCS suggests each of the 123 monitored overflows – out of a total of 3,617 – dumped raw sewage 114 times in 2022”, this is the Scotland context.
And yet further down –
“In addition, the MCS found less than 2% of storm overflows within the same distance of designated bathing waters – four out of 177 – are monitored, yet they released sewage for more than 600 hours in 2022”, this the Scotland context.
There are NO discharges of “raw sewage” or “dumping” into rivers or seas in Scotland, none, zero, zilch, nada – However, the authors rely on public ignorance to peddle the propaganda.
Normal foul flow is referred to as Dry Weather Flow or DWF – Most sewage treatment plants in Scotland have capacity of 6 DWF, 3 DWF to full treatment, 3 DWF to part treatment.
So if CSOs trigger above 6DWF, that’s >5 parts storm water for 1 part diluted and screened sewage, discharging to waters equally if not more swollen, so one part in >= 12, “Raw sewage” ?
Almost all the storm discharge events recorded in Scotland are from priority monitoring of CSOs, mainly to keep track on how often fine screening has been activated for follow up maintenance, so very far removed from “raw sewage”.
Beaches and receiving waterways are monitored regularly by SEPA and any problems followed up with the polluter to remedy, rarely is this ever SW.
Scotland’s water-borne pollution is a very far cry from the mess inflicted on England’s waterways by Tory dogma over the last 24 years…
The only shite Scotland suffers from is the BBC in Scotland.
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Thank for this informed explication which deconstructs BBC Scotland’s mendacious innuendo.
I suspect the Marine Conservation society is getting alarmed about the bad press being given to the Highly Protected Marine Areas consultation and might have issued a statement to indicate why marine protection is required. But, as so often with such well-meaning bodies they tend to go for alarmist headlines and performative rage to catch the attention of the media.
But, if you sup with the devil, you need a long spoon.
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Drinking water in in congested London S/E is recycled piss. Not very healthy.
Scotland has the best water in the world. Gets exported in bottles , worldwide.
Westminster garbage killing people. The rotten Westminster cabel. Lying, cheating rotten to the core. Rats in a sack. The bottom of the barrel. Sinking to the bottom of the pit. On the way out.
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Often worth a look at who heads the charities and organisations involved when quoted in the media. Look up the board of trustees the king is top of list, given the state of England’s waterways, MCS don’t seem to be very effective. An English charity, and registered in Scotland as well. Not sure if they have any offices in Scotland.
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Sorry, another long post – This is the report from MCS https://www.mcsuk.org/news/solutions-to-scotlands-sewage-scandal/ which is the basis for the BBC in Scotland’s “look a squirrel”, and part explains ACH-him raising the subject of England’s better monitoring in Holyrood – More on that latter point below.
“Scottish Water recently published data on just 3.4% of Scotland’s monitored sewage overflows. Our experts have analysed this data and what they’ve found shows that we need urgent action to address Scotland’s sewage problem”. – So essentially MCS are saying SW should be monitoring the outfalls they and SEPA haven’t prioritised just because…
and
“Combine that with our beach clean volunteers recording over 35,000 pieces of sewage related litter in 2022 and it’s clear that something must be done”. – Really ? Exactly 35,000 clearly identified on beaches in one year, pull the other one?
I have no problem over agitation by folks seeking to protect the environment but this report is beyond ridiculous – eg “The system is under pressure, being used above and beyond what it was initially designed for” – The “system” they refer to is only the pre-Victorian combined sewer part – What should SG do ? Erect a giant umbrella over Scotland to shed the changed rainfall ?
Scotland has made good progress over the last 50 years in separating foul and storm discharges, but retrofitting at source has been a painfully slow and disruptive task. Together with offline storage and storm bleed tanks, Scotland is way ahead on coping with changed rainfall patterns.
So long as one foul connection remains connected to the line, it remains classified as a combined sewer, but there always by that one agitator talking rubbish about it spewing raw sewage.
I see MCS and others haven taken DEFRA to the High Court over England’s pollution.
Any remember SEPA, SW or SG being taken to court over enabling pollution ? Ever ? ACH-him ? Nope, neither do I.
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