LEADING Green politician Ariane Burgess is calling on the Scottish Government to move swiftly on legislation for clean water across Scotland.
The re-elected Member for the Highlands and Islands said: “The King has pledged the Westminster Government will introduce measures for England and Wales. I am demanding the Scottish Government acts urgently for the Kyles, for communities across the Highlands and Islands, and for Scotland as a whole.”
Her call comes after more than a hundred people took to the water by Tighnabruaich to protest at the continuing invasion of sewage.
The community fightback is part of the ongoing concerns about discharges into the Kyles of Bute.
Members of the Toward Kayak Club, MSPs Jenni Minto and Ariane Burgess, and Surfers Against Sewage ambassador Colleen Blair took part to highlight their very real concerns.
Ms Burgess said: “I have been working with Kyles Coastal Community on the sewage crisis in Tighnabruaich for some time, and it was brilliant to join them on Saturday.
“The Tighnabruaich treatment plant recorded over a hundred discharges of partially treated sewage into the Kyles of Bute during dry weather in 2022. This is not a weather problem, it is an infrastructure failure on our doorstep.
“Having the force of Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) behind this community gives the campaign real momentum. Colleen Blair, SAS ambassador, bravely went in despite the risk of sharing the water with sewage. I did not want to take the risk.”
She told this newspaper: “Last week the King announced that the UK Government will introduce a Clean Water Bill for England and Wales. The Scottish Green manifesto calls for a similar piece of legislation in Scotland. The Scottish Government must match that ambition and I am demanding that they act urgently for the Kyles, for communities across the Highlands and Islands, and for Scotland as a whole.”
Argyll and Bute MSP Jenni Minto said: “Tighnabruaich is a jewel on Argyll & Bute’s coastline. It needs to remain that way. I was pleased to join the community as part of their campaign to reduce sewage in Scotland’s waters.”
Campaigners say residents in Tighnabruaich and Kames regularly report sewage slicks in the Kyles and waste on the shoreline. This raises concerns about using the beach and safety for swimmers out in the water.
The Kyles Community Group was set up in 2023 to attempt to improve the health of the maritime and coastal environment of the Kyles of Bute, for the benefit of the marine fauna and flora, and also to promote the sea and coast as a recreational and sustainable economic asset for the local population.
The group consists of about 50 adults and the Loch Riddon class at Tighnabruaich Primary School.
Its first target is to reduce the amount of sewage being regularly discharged into the sea.
Historically, sewage has been discharged directly from households in the village into the sea, but a few years ago, with the aid of a grant from the European Union, a sewage treatment system was planned for the village.
A spokeswoman for the group said: “Unfortunately, this system fell short of allowing the whole village to connect to it and many properties do not have the space or finances to install septic tanks. We have been lobbying the Scottish Government for assistance in solving this problem for the past three years, but to date have received little response.”
