A SEWAGE plant on the outskirts of Helensburgh has recorded more overspills in recent years than any other site in the country, according to new data.

The Helensburgh wastewater treatment works (WTW) at Ardmore, which discharges into the Firth of Clyde, has recorded an average of two spills a day over the last four years - a total of 3,719 between 2016 and 2020.

Figures obtained via a freedom of information request by The Ferret show that there were 12,238 ‘overflow events’ from wastewater treatment works and sewage pumping stations reported by Scottish Water in 2020.

Further statistics published by the BBC show that the number of recorded sewage spills in Scotland’s rivers and seas has increased by 40 per cent over the last five years.

Scottish Water says it is taking steps to “listen, engage and act” in the community after the data revealed the shocking number of sewage spills recorded in recent years.

The local works near Helensburgh also ranks fifth nationwide among locations with the highest recorded volume of spills, with 9.3m cubic metres of waste water released there since 2016.

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Last year alone, there were 1,245 overflows at the Helensburgh WTW, an average of more than three per day.

The national utility firm says that the spills are “screened to 6mm and receive primary treatment prior to discharge to the environment” - in other words it is not raw sewage that is being discharged at the works.

However, the company said it understands the concerns of the public - and urged residents to do what they can to prevent further issues.

Elizabeth Lambert, a member of the Plastic Free Helensburgh group inspired by the Surfers Against Sewage marine conservation charity, regularly takes part in beach cleans in the town - and she says her findings prove that the public can do more to help the cause.

“The most common items I found on the beach were cotton bud sticks, tampon applicators, sanitary towels, wet wipes, and bottle tops,” she told the Advertiser.

“Some areas of the beach smell of sewage which is why I suspect the discharge is actually coming from Helensburgh sewage rather than it just being washed ashore.

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“The main way the public can help is by correctly disposing of all their litter, especially in the bathroom.

“Don’t flush any items except pee, poo and paper. Please bag and bin everything else including wipes even if they say they are flushable.

“I don’t think the people who do flush these items realise that they might end up on the beach, so please think of the children and the wildlife at the shore and don’t flush plastic items.”

Construction began in April 2016 to replace the existing sewer pipeline at the foreshore from the pumping station at Craigendoran to the Helensburgh WTW at Ardmore.

Scottish Water said at the time that the upgrade project to install 1,800 meters of plastic pipe would “significantly reduce the chance of a pipe failure, and ensure we are protecting an environmentally sensitive area”.

Commenting on the latest statistics, a Scottish Water spokesperson said: “We have undertaken a significant amount of investment and improvement in our waste water networks and take our environmental responsibilities very seriously.

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“As part of a long-term strategy, we are transforming our waste water services to meet challenges presented by the impacts of climate change and population growth.

“We acknowledge that people and communities feel strongly about the number of spills and we are taking steps to listen, engage and act in order to provide effective waste water networks and treatment and protection for the environment.

“We estimate that the overall cost of improving all unsatisfactory CSOs (Combined Sewer Overflows) in Scotland is at least £650m, and possibly substantially more, and we have agreed priorities with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to address these.

“Scottish Water has installed over 350 event monitors across our networks and are installing a further 77 monitors at key locations over the next three years.

“Plans are being developed to increase coverage further, as well as rolling out approaches to create ‘intelligent networks’ which will help us provide improved visibility and early warning capability and could ultimately support improved capacity control to help reduce the risk of customer flooding and pollution incidents.

“The vast majority of waste water blockages, which can lead to sewage spills, are caused by items such as wipes being wrongly flushed down toilets and into our networks and we would urge customers not to do so and to ensure that only the three Ps, pee, poo and (toilet) paper, are flushed down toilets.”