Harmful Bacteria Found on West Sands as Liberal Democrats Call on Scottish Government to Raise Standards

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have called on the Scottish Government to test bathing waters more frequently after research found that half of Scotland’s designated bathing waters, including West Sands in St Andrews, breached pollution standards in 2026.

Bathing waters at West Sands were found to be in breach of standards, alongside other Fife beaches including Kinghorn, Leven, and Lower Largo. 

On at least one occasion, the waters at West Sands were found to contain high levels of intestinal enterococci (IE), a harmful bacterium found in fecal contamination. 

A total of 44 bathing waters were recorded to have high levels of IE and E. coli. The highest level of IE, which was 47 times the legal limit, was recorded at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh. Lower Largo in Fife had the highest E. coli levels, which were at least twenty times the safe limit. 

In a press release issued on 4 October, the Scottish Liberal Democrats stated that “the impact of sewage dumping in Scotland” should be taken more seriously by the Scottish Government. 

“The presence of these bacteria is an indicator of potential sewage pollution,” the press release read. 

South of the bathing waters at West Sands, there is a combined sewer overflow (CSO) outfall. According to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) website, the CSO “may discharge and impact the bathing water during heavy rainfall.”  

A Scottish Government spokesperson stated to The Courier that sewage overflows were “essential” in stopping flooding and that it is “not accurate to characterise the operation of overflows as sewage dumping.”

Currently, the quality of designated bathing water is tested by SEPA only during the bathing season, which runs from 15 May to 15 September. The Scottish Liberal Democrats have proposed that bathing waters be tested throughout the year.

In the press release, Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, Liberal Democrat environment spokesperson and MSP for Edinburgh Northern, stated: “This situation simply isn’t good enough. No matter what time of year it is, we need to give people confidence that our bathing waters are safe to use.”

In a statement to The Saint, Dijkstra-Downie said that “year-round monitoring would give us an accurate picture of the state of waterways at all times.” 

“The reality is that many bathing waters […] are used year-round, not just in the summer months, with wild swimming [becoming] increasingly popular.

“Water quality also affects our coastal ecosystems — the animals and plants who live on our shores — not just humans!”  

In a written statement, SEPA stated that “individual sample results provide a snapshot of water quality at the time the sample is taken and should not be interpreted in the same way as the statutory bathing water classification.” 

The Scottish Government classifies the water quality at West Sands as “Good.” Water quality is measured on a four-point scale: (Poor, Sufficient, Good, Excellent). 

Classifications are calculated at the end of one bathing season, using both the “average value and the range of values in the four-year dataset,” according to SEPA’s website. 

In their statement, SEPA affirmed that “Scotland’s bathing water classifications provide the best overall assessment of water quality at designated bathing waters.” 

According to the agency, in the 2026 bathing season, 86 of the 89 designated bathing waters with existing classifications achieved a rating of “Sufficient” or better. 

“Where bathing waters are classified as Poor, or where investigations identify pressures affecting water quality, SEPA works with the relevant organisations, […] local authorities, and land managers […] to identify the causes and agree and implement the action needed to improve water quality,” SEPA stated. 

SEPA publishes advice about water quality on its website. 

Image Courtesy of Ada Newton