Sewage in the Firth of Forth

Due to the complete failure of a pump at a sewage-treatment works near Edinburgh, sewage is being discharged into the Firth of Forth. Since the emergency commenced, on Friday, 100,000,000 litres of partially treated effluent has been discharged into the sea. The solids have been removed, but the bacterial load of the water is still high.

Warnings have been issued to people in the area not to touch the seawater, not to eat shellfish (which filter seawater to obtain nutrients) and basically stay away. The works' operators, Thames Water, say a pump should be up and running later tonight. Questions have been asked about the length of time it has taken to get repairs completed, and about the technical state of the installation. Not discharging the effluent into the sea would have meant that it would have backed up into the streets of Edinburgh.

Visitors to local beaches have been fiercely critical of the situation, and the way information has been disseminated - or not, as the case may be. Read more here.