Residents of an Aberdeenshire town have complained about the strong smell of sewage coming from a burn.
Walkers in Ellon couldn’t help but notice a pong in the air near Broomies Burn, which flows south into the River Ythan on the eastern edge of the town.
Some said that when they stopped to look, the usually clear water was instead a dirty grey.
They described it as a “disgrace” and pointed out that the burn have been polluted several times in recent years.
Craig Davis said: “This burn used to support a great abundance of wildlife, including otters and a healthy fish population.
“Alas, these are all gone now.”
Local councillor Anouk Kahanov-Kloppert, who is also a member of the River Ythan Trust, said: “I am really upset to hear of this latest incident in Broomies Burn and so I have written to the local Sepa officer and expressed my concerns, asking for an update on the water quality of the burn.
“It is my understanding that Sepa will take samples of the water in the burn and do tests to establish any pollutants in the water.
“But all too often the pollution seems to be of such temporary nature that all has returned to normal levels again by the time the samples are taken.
“Evidence of pollution is required before further investigations can be done.
“In today’s correspondence, I have asked for SEPA to review their monitoring of the burn, and possibly for monitoring to intensify, which I believe is due anyway this year.”
A Sepa spokesman said officers had been to burn and inspected the water, but found no evidence of sewage discharge.
He added: “While pollution was not substantiated on this occasion, members of the public are encouraged to report any concerns to our dedicated Pollution Hotline on 0800 807 060.”
