Davey joins beach clean as he demands improved sewage spill monitoring
The Lib Dem leader will join campaigners at Portobello Beach on Friday.
Sir Ed Davey will travel to Edinburgh on Friday to help clean up a beach.
The Liberal Democrat leader will join the Surfers Against Sewage group at Portobello Beach.
Sir Ed has called for better sewage monitoring in Scotland, saying only a fraction of spills are currently recorded.
He said: “I’m delighted to be back in Edinburgh. Our party has been at the forefront of fighting for clean rivers and beaches up and down the UK.
“We’ve held failing regulators and water companies to account. We defeated hosts of Conservative MPs because they wouldn’t lift a finger to stand up for clean water and people’s beloved beauty spots.
“In Scotland, there were more than 24,000 sewage dumps recorded in 2024, but the difference is that unlike England, Scotland still only monitors a fraction of the sites where sewage is dumped so the true picture is likely even worse.”
Sir Ed said ministers in Edinburgh “don’t seem to care that the Government-owned water company dumps millions of litres of sewage throughout our rivers, lochs and beaches”.
He added: “If the SNP continue to act as apologists for the dumping of waste in our water, then in Edinburgh and across Scotland they will meet the same fate as the Conservatives.
“In Scotland we want to see a new Clean Water Act to take the sewage scandal seriously, track down and report every sewage dump, and replace outdated standards with modern and enforceable regulation.
“In many constituencies we are on the verge of winning against the SNP, but wherever you are, every vote for the Scottish Liberal Democrats on the second peach ballot will deliver change with fairness at its heart.”
Climate Action Secretary Gillian Martin said: “97% of Scotland’s bathing waters achieve the bathing water quality standard, with 82% rated good or excellent. The water quality in our rivers and lochs is also improving with 86% of Scotland’s entire water environment assessed by Sepa as having a ‘high’ or ‘good’ classification – up from 82% in 2014.
“It’s simply not accurate to characterise the operation of overflows as sewage dumping. Overflows are an integral part of Scotland’s sewer networks, ensuring sewers don’t back up and flood homes, streets and sewage works during periods of heavy rainfall.
“Scottish Water is committing up to £500 million of investment to increase monitoring and reporting of overflows, reduce overflows, improve water quality and reduce sewer-related debris in the environment, and overflows that are found to operate incorrectly or impact on water quality are prioritised for investment.”
