The discovery of dumped drums of oil at Fraserburgh’s beach has sparked outcry among locals.
Critics claim the discarded containers are being washed up on the town’s award-winning sands – instead of being disposed of at the harbour.
Cairnbulg man John Mclean hit out after picking up a barrel at the end of last week – the fourth he has found in a month.
He branded the practice “a disgrace”.
Last night, Mike Chandler, the chairman of Fraserburgh’s tourism group, said he was also disappointed by the waste.
“We need to find out where they have come from,” he said.
“Fraserburgh’s beach, particularly, is a major selling point of the town. It is a fantastic attraction and that’s why whenever anything like this is found it needs to be dealt with very quickly.
“The question of stuff washing onto the beach is a constant problem and it needs to be addressed. People who are working on boats or rigs need to be aware that whatever they throw into the sea eventually comes ashore and makes a mess of places like the beach.”
Fraserburgh Harbour commissioner Andrew Ironside said the crews of vessels at the harbour were regularly encouraged to use the port’s disposal service.
“We have a waste management approved plan, as all competent harbour authorities have,” he said.
“As part of this plan, we haveto encourage all vessels that use the port, from the smallest to the biggest, to leave all waste, including oil, on the quay.
“For that, there is a basic charge applied to each and every vessel that uses the port for the waste facilities. We have a caged compound where we collect the drums that are then taken by an oil company at a cost to the harbour.
“Every port has to have a ‘polluter pays’ principle,” he added.