A north-east councillor has launched an unorthodox attempt to resolve a pollution problem in his community.
Kessock Burn, which runs through the heart of Fraserburgh and empties at the beach, is regularly clogged with litter.
In recent months, it has led to nearby homeowners raising fears that their own property could become contaminated with chemical waste in heavy rains or floods.
The situation deteriorated so much that councillor, Ian Tait, reached out to Transport Scotland to have the watercourse cleared.
And last night, he launched his own Freedom of Information request to the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) to try and force through a solution.
Citing the discovery of hydrocarbon pollution in the water, Mr Tait wants to know if the agency knew about how bad the problem had become.
In his FOI, he has added: “What action is SEPA taking to deal with the situation?”
Under FOI regulations, SEPA will have 20 days to respond to Mr Tait’s questions.
However, it could refuse his request if the information is deemed to be sensitive or the cost involved in answering him are too high.
A particular concern of local people is the possibility the water could be damaging the town’s popular beachfront, where the burn opens up into the North Sea.
National organisation, Keep Scotland Beautiful, paid tribute to the two-and-a-half-mile stretch of sand by giving it a coveted Seaside Award in 2008, which it has subsequently retained.
It is one of nine Aberdeenshire beaches to have been earmarked by the group as a desirable destination.
Others include the sands at Collieston, Cruden Bay, Peterhead and Stonehaven.
Last year, water tested at Fraserburgh by SEPA was rated as “excellent”.
Scotland’s beaches have been tested by the agency over four years for bacteria linked to both animal and human waste, including the E.coli virus and intestinal bacteria.
