Swimmers warned to avoid central stretch of Edinburgh's Portobello beach after pollution alert
An advisory against swimming or paddling at Portobello Central bathing water has been in place since Thursday, June 11
Swimmers have been urged to avoid the water at Edinburgh’s Portobello Beach following a pollution warning.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) explained that a routine sample taken from the water at Portobello Central bathing water recorded a “high bacterial result” on Thursday, June 11.
The agency has since advised against people swimming or bathing in the water until samples come back as clear.
As a result, groups have been unable to access the sea in what would usually be a busy time for the Portobello Promenade.
Alec Martin is from the Portobello Surf Lifesaving Club, a charity which is part of Portobello Sailing and Kayaking Club and runs weekly water safety classes for children on Portobello Beach.
He said: “We've got between 15 and 20 kids who attend depending on how many adult supervisors we've got.
“But when there's a pollution incident we can't go in the water. Obviously, private individuals will make their own decisions but we can't put people in the water and then they get sick. We have to do what [SEPA] say.”
He added: “We did run a session on Sunday, but it was a dry land session and that's not what the kids want to do, we want to get them in the water.
“They learn CPR and rescues and various things, but it's a bit miserable if you can't get them in the water on the home beach.”
Mr Martin said that the issue with SEPA’s ongoing advice to avoid Portobello Central bathing water is that this is not only based on samples taken last Thursday, but that the nature of the pollution incident hasn’t been communicated.
He said: “Is it sewage? Is it dog waste or bird poo? A generic pollution event tells us nothing.
“The challenge we have is SEPA will come and take a sample, that sample was taken on the 11th. That's a long time in terms of local businesses.
“Lots of people look at the Surfers Against Sewage app and that has an alert that says there's a water pollution incident at the moment. If people are coming down from town they might say well we're going to go to The Meadows or we're going to go somewhere else instead of coming to Porty.
“It's also affecting our ability as the community in Portobello to use the beach, and so why aren't SEPA testing it every day, until we know what the problem was?”
Mr Martin added that in the future he would like to see measures such as public showers and toilets put in place at Portobello Beach to avoid any anxieties over future pollution events.
He said: “We could manage the risk better by enabling people to use public toilets on the prom. If there were toilets open then people could go to them and use them rather than maybe using things they shouldn't use, which could lead to pollution.
“If there were showers on the prom then people could at least wash themselves and clean themselves afterwards, like they do on most bathing water beaches, but we don't have them either.”
A spokesperson for SEPA said: “SEPA are aware of a high bacterial result at Portobello Central bathing water.
“Our officers are currently investigating the cause of this high result and if required we will explore any mitigation measures. Further water samples will be taken from the bathing water to determine if there is any ongoing impact.
“SEPA’s electronic sign at Portobello Central has been changed to advise against bathing and paddling.
“Advice against bathing will remain in place until SEPA are satisfied water quality at Portobello Central is no longer impacted.”
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