Sewage flow stemmed
Published on : 23/04/2007
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The flow of sewage flooding into the Firth of Forth has been stemmed after the installation of emergency pumps, Scottish Water has said.
Since Friday around 1,000 litres a second of untreated sewage have been pumping into the Forth from the Seafield wastewater treatment plant in Leith.
Waste from the plant, operated by Thames Water, has continuously poured into the Forth throughout the weekend, raising public health concerns and leading to criticism from local residents regarding the technology used at the plant.
However Scottish Water has apologised today for any trouble caused by the delay in fixing the problem.
It also said that waste water was now being treated on-site and that Thames Water will be asked to carry out a full inquiry into the incident.
"We apologise to customers for this incident," John Rae, the firm's general manager for customer operations said.
"The focus has been to get these repairs made and stop the flow of sewage as quickly as possible.
"We have been liaising with City of Edinburgh council environmental health and SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency) throughout and this will continue until this incident is fully resolved."
The council has advised residents to continue to avoid contact with the water along Edinburgh’s waterfront until further notice.
"Health officers have been urging people to ensure they maintain high standards of personal hygiene and do not take anything home from the beach until sewage has dispersed," said council leader Ewan Aitken.
The council also put up warning notices at midnight on Friday along the shore in areas which may potentially be affected and increased signage over the weekend.
