• Cole-Hamilton meets anti-sewage campaigners as he reveals Scotland’s worst affected rivers
• Equivalent of more than 1 in 7 Scots are on a waiting list
• Cole-Hamilton: Urgent action needed on A&E waiting times

Cole-Hamilton meets anti-sewage campaigners as he reveals Scotland’s worst affected rivers

Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader Alex Cole-Hamilton today met anti-sewage campaigners in Edinburgh as the party published new analysis which reveals the worst rivers in Scotland for sewage dumping.

Sewage was dumped into Scotland’s rivers for a shocking 183,832 hours last year, with 16,010 sewage spills in total. This is equivalent to an average of over 44 sewage dumps into rivers every single day.

The 10 worst rivers for duration of sewage dumping in 2023 were:

• River Carron
• Clyde Estuary
• River Clyde
• Biggar Burn
• River Nith
• Clyde Estuary/Firth of Clyde
• Cluden Water
• River Ayr
• Leader Water
• Ladywell Burn

Sewage was dumped into the River Carron for 17,781 hours in 2023, and the Clyde Estuary saw the most individual sewage dumps with 2,090.

Alex met local anti-sewage campaigners Jack Caldwell and Hal Osler at the picturesque Shore in Leith where sewage is dumped directly into the Water of Leith by the government-owned water company.

Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

On doorstep after doorstep, people are telling me how disgusted they are that sewage is being pumped into their rivers.

Last year there were an average of 44 sewage dumps into rivers across Scotland every single day, but even this disgusting figure may be an underestimate as the vast majority of sewage dumps are not monitored.

The Water of Leith, where I am today, is one of many rivers where there is absolutely no monitoring of sewage dumping, even though we know it is happening.

Communities all across Scotland are rightly furious that their local rivers are being spoiled while they face huge price rises from the government-owned water company and its executives are pocketing bumper bonuses. SNP ministers are spin doctors for outdated sewage standards.

Liberal Democrats have led the campaign to turn the tide on the sewage scandal. If you elect a Liberal Democrat MP you will get a hardworking local champion who is focused on getting the sewage out of our rivers and winning the change our country desperately needs.

Scottish Liberal Democrats have previously announced plans for a Clean Water Act which would see:

• Scotland’s Victorian sewage network updated;
• Every sewage dump monitored and published with binding targets for their reduction;
• A blue flag system for Scotland’s rivers;
• A complete ban on the release of sewage in protected areas such as bathing waters.

Equivalent of more than 1 in 7 Scots are on a waiting list

Responding to the latest Public Health Scotland figures which show that NHS waiting lists totalled 840,300 by the quarter ending March 2024, an increase on the numbers waiting at the end of last quarter and the equivalent of more than 1 in 7 Scots, Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

Voting SNP is bad for your health. More and more Scots are left waiting for vital scans, critical tests, and life-saving treatment. Patients in Scotland deserve better.

The blame for this lies solely at the door of the SNP and their mismanagement of the health system. They have failed to give our hard-working NHS staff the beds, safe staffing and resources they desperately need.

Neil Gray needs to get a handle on this, and fast. It is time he scrapped Humza Yousaf’s failed recovery plan and bring forward a strategy that will meaningfully tackle burnout among staff and put their voices first as they tackle the crisis.

Cole-Hamilton: Urgent action needed on A&E waiting times

Responding to new figures showing that just 66.2% of people attending A&E were seen within the 4-hour target in the week ending 19th May, with 12% waiting more than 8 hours and 1,462 patients waiting more than 12 hours, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

These figures are the latest in a long line cataloguing the failures of the SNP Government to address the crisis in our A&E departments.

Patients and staff deserve better. We need to see meaningful action taken to reverse the situation.

Scottish Liberal Democrats would overhaul the NHS Recovery Plan, bring forward an urgent inquiry into the hundreds of avoidable deaths linked to the emergency care crisis and meaningfully tackle burnout among staff.