It calls for political parties to make clean water a priority in manifestos for next year’s Holyrood election

A new campaign to tackle sewage pollution in Scotland’s rivers and seas has been launched, supported by over 20 groups and organisations across civil society.

After years of struggle to stop sewage spills in their local waterways, community groups River Almond Action Group and SOS Leith have joined forces with the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland (ERCS) on the Clean Up Scotland’s Sewage campaign.

Responding to concern across Scotland, the campaign calls for political parties to make clean water a priority in manifestos for next year’s Holyrood elections.

Its petition is collecting 4,083 signatures from the public to match the number of sewer overflows in Scotland with four asks:

1. Make pollution visible: introduce 100% monitoring of all sewer overflows so that we know how often our waterways are being polluted.

2. Stop routine pollution: match the new EU standards for surface water quality and wastewater treatment to safeguard human and environmental health.

3. Hold polluters to account: review the resources and enforcement of our current regulations to give public bodies the tools to protect our waterways.

4. Build in resilience: set interim targets for 2030 to invest in blue-green infrastructure to reduce sewage spills.

Overflows were built into Scotland’s sewer system to prevent flooding from extreme rainfall by discharging sewage into nearby watercourses. Now, they are used routinely with over 24,000 spills reported last year.

However, the true scale of sewage pollution remains in the dark with only around 34% of overflows monitored and important pollutants, including PFAS and microplastics, excluded from official quality classifications for surface waters.

Public concern over clean waters is growing. A survey published last month by Scottish Environment LINK found that over 80% of the Scottish public thinks that the next Scottish Government should protect rivers and seas from pollution.

Dr Shivali Fifield, chief officer at ERCS, said: “The routine pollution of our rivers and seas violates our right to a healthy environment and harms precious ecosystems. There is clear evidence that our sewer system is no longer fit for purpose. The infrastructure is ageing and the waste water regulations are outdated.

“We recognise that sewage pollution is but one cause of water pollution and the EU has provided a route map for better governance. We need the next Scottish Government to invest in long-term solutions to clean up our waterways – let’s start by dealing with sewage.”

Dr Pippa Scott, co-chair of the River Almond Action Group, added: “Untreated sewage is still entering our rivers, lochs, and seas - a clear sign of ageing infrastructure and a growing threat to nature. For too long, the true environmental cost has gone uncounted, and communities raising the alarm have been ignored or dismissed.

“As we approach the Holyrood elections, political parties have a choice to make: they can stand up for our right to a healthy environment and commit to the policies needed to fix this pollution crisis, or they can continue making excuses for inaction and face the electoral consequences.’

And Dr Jim Jarvie, co-founder of SOS Leith, said: “We’re taking action because not enough is being done to prevent the release of raw sewage into the Water of Leith, which flows through one of the most densely populated areas of Scotland.

“Taxpayer money is being spent on cosmetic improvements that conceal sewage discharges but do nothing to prevent them. This matters because we live, work, and play along the river. We think Leith should be a clean and attractive place where people want to be, and we want to protect children, pets and wildlife from dangerous pollution in our neighbourhood.”