Protesters in Nairn join nation-wide Paddle Out Protest by Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) against sewage pollution
A group of protesters gathered at Nairn Beach on Saturday to voice their concerns over sewage pollution and its impact on the local environment.
It was one of 43 events organised as part of a nation-wide protest by action group Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), and it was the first time Nairn played host to this day of environmental activism, with around 30 people turning up on the day.
Although a group paddle out in the sea was expected, the sea swell on the day meant that most activities were confined on the beach, where people in attendance took part in a group beach clean, a yoga session, as well as a talk by a keynote speaker.
Craig Arthur, who organised the Nairn gathering, said this was a really good first for the town and to make the voices of the local community heard.
He said: “The sea let us down a bit as there was a massive swell on the day, but we couldn't avoid that. A couple of people went out but for the majority of people there it was too big.
“That I am afraid put some people that would have otherwise attended off from coming along. But those who did, were all very concerned about the impact of sewage in the environment. It was quite interesting to hear what people had to say.”
“We had about 30 was alright for the first time. We’ll hopefully do it next year and make it bigger and better.”
Mr Arthur, who is Glasgow-based but spends a lot of time in Nairn where he has a house, is a paddle-boarder, kayaker, “and general water lover and keen environmentalist” and has been a member of SAS for around a decade.
This comes as recent concerns were raised about damage to sewage treatment works near Nairn East beach, with Scottish Water confirming that they will be carrying out repair works on the outfall in the next two weeks.
According to SEPA’s bathing water portal, the performance of Nairn Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) is currently “good” and the “discharge quality standard of the final discharge is very high” and unlikely to impact on bathing water quality.
However, Mr Arthur said that despite authorities claiming that water quality is not an issue in Scotland, the fact that as soon as water monitoring started on May 15 last week, an issue came up should be ringing alarm bells.
He said: “One of the big issues it's been raised in the community is the new housing development out at Delnies and the impact it’s going to have on Nairn’s sewage infrastructure, because it doesn't seem to be provision to increase that at all.
“They say there is not a problem, but the big problem in Scotland is the lack of monitoring and reporting. They only monitor a small percentage of the sewage outfalls (under 4 per cent, according to SAS), so where there is a perceived bigger problem with water quality in England — it’s because there isn’t the same level of monitoring up here.”
On its website, SAS has shared a Live Sewage map to keep swimmers and water sports enthusiasts aware of ongoing discharges.
A spokesperson for Scottish Water said: “These figures being used by Surfers Against Sewage are out of date. Recent investment under our £500m Improving Urban Waters programme means that over 30 per cent of our network is now monitored.
"At an average cost of circa £25k per monitor it's important we use public money wisely, with investment focused on areas where monitors could have the biggest environmental impact. Independent regulator, SEPA, rates 87 per cent of Scotland’s water environment as either good or excellent.
“Publicly-owned, we have been rated as the most trusted water company in the UK in a survey of more than 10,000 people commissioned by the Institute of Customer Service.”
According to SEPA’s 2023 State of Scotland’s Water report, the overall condition of Scotland’s water environment (including rivers, lochs, groundwater, coastal and estuaries) reported around 68 per cent of waters classed as high or good quality, with 32 per cent rated as “below good”.