The Scottish Government has been accused of breaking a vow to update “broken” 30-year-old rules on sewage pollution despite its own watchdog calling it “unacceptable”. New statistics show sewage leaked into Scottish waters at least 23,672 times in 2025, discharging 22 billion litres of waste water into rivers, lochs and seas – enough to fill 9,000 Olympic swimming pools.
Campaigners Criticise SNP Ministers
Campaigners said the revelations show SNP ministers are not taking the sewage dumping crisis seriously and are failing to hold publicly owned Scottish Water to account. Despite officials stating nine in ten of the nation’s waters are in good condition, hundreds of Scots are thought to have gotten sick in recent years from outdoor water activities amid rising toxic pollution.
Lib Dem environment spokeswoman Sanne Dijkstra-Downie said: “Sewage dumping in Scotland is still governed by these broken 30-year-old sewage rules. Yet the Scottish Government seems set to turn its back on its pledge to update these rules urgently, instead kicking it into the long grass. That’s something which the government’s own watchdog described as unacceptable.”
Outdated Guidance Compared to England
Ministers previously committed to review “outdated” 1998 guidance about the “exceptional circumstances” – such as heavy rainfall – in which storm overflows are allowed to spill raw sewage into waterways. Equivalent guidance in England has been used in probes leading to massive fines for water companies, such as a £63 million penalty against Anglian Water last year over unlawful dumps. But in Scotland, where Scottish Water has faced no such fines, eco watchdog Environment Standards Scotland (ESS) has criticised the rules as old and unclear, urging ministers to rewrite them.
Dijkstra-Downie added: “In England, when water companies dump sewage more frequently than the rules allow, they get hit with massive fines. In Scotland, it seems there are never any consequences for sewage dumping under the SNP. Scottish Liberal Democrats want to see a Clean Water Act to take the sewage scandal seriously.”
Government Emails Reveal Delays
Emails between Holyrood and SEPA officials this year, obtained through freedom of information, show the government is “not looking at updating the 1998 guidance” despite saying last year it would do so. Civil servants argue this is because they are currently examining updated EU environmental rules which might require new Scottish Parliament legislation. Frustrated ESS officials warned this would not “adequately address” their concerns. They wrote back: “It could be 2027 at the earliest before any new legislation comes into force. This leaves an unacceptable lack of clarity.”
We previously told how Scottish Government officials leaned on Scottish Water not to publish annual sewage data prior to May 7’s Holyrood election. The water firm finally published provisional 2025 stats on May 11. However, an update will be provided in August capturing data from more than 1,000 new monitors installed at overflow pipes since 2024 – likely to significantly increase the figures.
