Bob Lamont
The “shocking” BBC Scotland headline is on instruction from London, “make smoke”, to cover increasing Tory embarrassment as public anger in England rises.
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.
Talking-up Scotland 
This for completeness is observation on the actual MCS report, and why HMS James Cook may have dropped the story like a hot potato following their early morning promotion….
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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The Scottish Government (and/or SEPA and Scottish Water) need to get its public communications act together on this topic. It has been a high profile and politically toxic topic in England for some time. The relevant bodies in Scotland need to get on the front foot and either (a) refute the bad news stories now circulating; (b) explain and provide context and perspective of the extent of the problem; and (c) provide evidence of ongoing or new, additional measures to improve matters.
The following extract from Hansard, from the House of Commons chamber on 17 May, 2023, confirms that both the Tories and Labour are intending to use the issue of water pollution in Scotland as a stick to beat the Scottish Government – the Tories probably to deflect from the mess in England and Labour directly for electoral advantage.
Ian Murray MP (Labour: Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland):
‘It is critical to develop green energy jobs, but we also have to protect our environment—that is crucial. Unfortunately, waterways and coastal communities across the UK are being polluted by this Government’s refusal to stop pumping the equivalent of 40,000 days’ worth of raw sewage into them every year.
‘It is little wonder that the SNP did not support Labour’s Bill to stop this disgraceful practice, as THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT DO EXACTLY THE SAME. It was recently revealed that the equivalent of 3,000 swimming pools’ worth of raw sewage was dumped on Scottish beaches, waterways and parks last year.
‘With both Governments allowing that sewage scandal to go on every day, and promises about green jobs and renewable industries broken, why should the public believe a word that the Scottish and UK Governments say about the environment?’
John Lamont (Conservative: The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland):
‘ This UK Government have A PROUD RECORD OF TACKLING SEWAGE DISCHARGES. As the hon. Gentleman highlights, the policy is devolved to the Scottish Government. The SNP has A TRULY APPALLING RECORD ON ALLOWING SEWAGE TO BE DUMPED into Scotland’s waters, including at many environmentally protected sites. Recent press reports suggest that 7.6 million cubic metres of sewage were released into waterways of significance last year, including award-winning beaches and the River Tweed in the Scottish Borders. This is yet another example of where the SNP needs to clean up its act.’
So I’d like to know, I’d like the voting public in Scotland to know, is all or any of this now on record in Hansard true? And is it down to interested individuals to do the research to find out – and just post a considered response on TuS?
Do the Scottish Government, the SNP, the Scottish Greens – even those public bodies like SEPA and Scottish Water that are being effectively condemned here – have nothing to say in explanation or their defence? Have I missed a rebuttal – if indeed one can be justified on the evidence?
OK perhaps the corporate media and the BBC would not directly publish a rebuttal/explanation but it could be communicated by others in other ways.
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It used to be the NHS. When embarrassing stats were about to be published by NHS England, there would be a barrage of howling complaints from the three unionist parties about the Scottish NHS. It would appear they’ve moved on to our water now. Where next?
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There does appear to be a need to increase monitoring of discharges but I believe it is the case that the Scottish Gov has given money to SW to do just that but it takes time.
There is however, indirect evidence that things are not as bad here as in England and that ‘evidence’ comes courtesy of the MSM itself. If there were discharges into Scottish rivers etc on the scale that is occurring in England you would expect the MSM, and particularly BBC Scotland, to be printing/broadcasting images of the contaminated waters day and daily but they dont and that absence is damning of their assertion that things are as bad here.
I know absence of evidence is not evidence of absence and discharges do take place but knowing the Scottish media’s penchant for going overboard on SNPbad stories their near silence on this is quite telling.
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Here is an interesting article on the subject of Scotland’s water
https://www.environment.gov.scot/our-environment/water/scotland-s-freshwater/#:~:text=The%20condition%20of%20Scottish%20rivers,Scotland%20are%20in%20good%20condition.
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Ah, evidence !
So how does one arrive at “There does appear to be a need to increase monitoring of discharges” when SEPA has pretty much mapped all of Scotland’s discharges and nailed the targets with over 30 years of accumulated evidence ?
I’m not having a go at your perceptions, merely pointing out the con of using SW data in isolation – Sampling by SEPA is more wide ranging than SW who only concentrate on THEIR discharges, nothing unusual
– Yet a data analyst for MSC in Feb 23 finds nothing in the data from SW, so the author ignores 30+ years of sampling by SEPA to assert SW might have missed something…
Such as 35,000 pieces of crap that no member of the public noticed or reported nor any passing SEPA Inspector for a year. Really ?
Evidence ?
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NEEVER ever trust COOKIE
HIS ONLY INTEREST IS THE ENGLIFIED COMMENTS
SO WHY WOULD ANY SCOTS “apart from labour an tory”
SUPPORT ANYONE FINANCIALLY
STOP BBC SCOTLAND EXTORTIONATE WAGES BILL
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And a final touch of irony to HMS James Cook’s article “Scotland’s river sewage must be more closely monitored – charity”.
An image search of the photo they used labelled ‘SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY’, turned out to be “Pipe discharging waste water into River Severn England UK”
🤣
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Can we raise a CROWDFUND against the People who are
STATING THESE SO CALLED FACTS
WE CANNOT ALLOW THESE FILTHY LIARS
TO RUIN SCOTLAND WITH THEIR FILTH
Ideas please
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