Multi-agency working is continuing following last month’s River Esk pollution incident.

Multi-agency working is continuing following last month’s River Esk pollution incident.

A significant amount of contamination was removed from the watercourse in January supported by East Lothian Council’s contractor. Since then the council has continued to monitor the controls and measures which were put in place to contain and mitigate any remaining polluting material. This includes ongoing inspections of the booms and renewing these where required.

Further multi-agency meetings are planned to review progress and inform next steps in relation to potential further measures, informed by SEPA’s ongoing investigation.

Chris Dailly, SEPA’s Head of Environmental Protection, said:

“We would like to thank everyone who has been in touch to provide information for our investigation into the pollution event on 14 January. We are following up on all of these reports and  continue to carry out a range of investigations and assessments to trace the source of the pollution pursue a number of lines of enquiry.

“As part of this investigation we have again undertaken dye testing which involves using luminous green tracer dye to check drainage system connections. People may see traces of this in the watercourse over the next few days as it works through the system. The dye is designed for this purpose and is not harmful to the environment or local ecology.”

Published: Friday, 4th February 2022