Scotland’s first ever sewage alerts now live on our app
Today, we’re lifting the lid on sewage secrecy in Scotland. For the very first time, live sewage alerts are now available north of the border through our Safer Seas & Rivers Service (SSRS) app.
This is the only service of its kind in Scotland – giving surfers, swimmers, paddleboarders and wild dippers real-time warnings when sewage spews into your favourite waters.
Download the app on your phone (it’s free!)
Or view the online version (if you’re on desktop)
Scotland has been left in the dark for too long
Let’s be crystal clear: Scotland’s waters are not as clean as you’ve been led to believe.
11,000+ sewage dumps reported by Scottish Water this year alone. 82,000 hours of raw sewage spewing into rivers, lochs and seas. And yet – until now – zero live alerts to warn you when your local spot is polluted.
During summer, SEPA provides limited, seasonal monitoring at just 89 bathing waters. But outside of bathing season? Communities have been completely left in the dark. Swimmers and surfers taking the plunge in autumn, winter and spring? Forgotten. Ignored. Put at risk.
We’re not having it. So we’ve taken things into our own hands.
Our sewage alerts mean safer choices
We’ve launched Scotland-specific alerts triggered when a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) discharges within 2km of a designated bathing water.
This means 48 Scottish locations will now receive year-round, real-time alerts. It’s not a perfect system – massive gaps in Scottish Water’s data mean we can’t cover every community (yet) – but it’s the best possible solution given the data that’s available.
Because here’s the truth: people are getting sick from sewage. And we can’t wait around for water companies and governments to get their act together.
“For too long, surfers and swimmers in Scotland have been kept in the dark. Scotland’s waters are not as clean as people think, and people are getting sick. In the face of inaction from Scottish Water and the government, the public deserves at least some form of protection.”
– Annie, Senior Data Officer at Surfers Against Sewage
And we’re not stopping there. The SSRS app also lets you contact your MSP directly whenever a sewage alert hits your local spot – turning pollution warnings into political power.
The human cost of sewage
Take Shelley, a wild swimmer in Dunbar, who was hospitalised with Cryptosporidium after a dip at her local beach. She told us:
“At my local beaches in Dunbar, the only way we are properly aware of what is going on is because of the citizen science project, where water quality is tested by locals. We’re grateful for that, but what we really need to see all over Scotland is officially whether the water is safe or not.
We want to know the real data so that we know what danger we are putting ourselves in, all year round, not just in the bathing season. We find with our own little swimming group that more people are swimming through the winter than in the summer, and swimming as much as possible through the colder months. We need to know the data, so that we know whether or not it is safe to swim.”
Belhaven Bay, Dunbar, East Lothian
What we’re demanding
Enough half-measures. Enough excuses. We’re calling on the Scottish Government and Scottish Water to:
- Deliver 100% sewage network monitoring.
- Provide real-time alerts showing when, where, and for how long sewage threatens our health.
- Implement a national system that actually protects communities, not corporate profits.
Scottish Water recorded 24,000 sewage discharges last year – but that’s only from 6.7% of the network. We estimate the real number could be as high as 365,000 spills. That’s scandalous. That’s sewage chaos. And that’s why we’ll keep fighting.
How you can take action
We’ve built Scotland’s first ever sewage alert system because the health of people and our planet should come before water companies’ profits. But we need your help to go further.
📲 Download the Safer Seas & Rivers Service app and check the water before you dip.
📊 Check sewage discharges in real-time on our Data HQ and see the truth for yourself.
💥 And when the alerts hit? Use your voice. Email your MSP or local political rep. Demand action.
Together, we can end sewage pollution for good.
