Scottish Water say engineers have been working round the clock in a bid to stem the flow of millions of litres of sewage into the Firth of Forth.
Scottish Water say engineers have been working round the clock in a bid to stem the flow of millions of litres of sewage into the Firth of Forth.
The major spill was caused by a pump failure at Seafield Wastewater Treatment Plant in Leith on Friday.
The major spill was caused by a pump failure at Seafield Wastewater Treatment Plant in Leith on Friday.
A new pump has to be delivered and fitted before treatment can resume.
It is hoped a new pump can be fitted to stop the overflow by the end of Sunday.
The public has been warned to avoid contact with water as 1,000 litres a second of partially diluted sewage pumps into the Forth.
The public has been warned to avoid contact with water as 1,000 litres a second of partially diluted sewage pumps into the Forth.
The plant, run by Thames Water, treats sewage for 800,000 people in and around Edinburgh.
The plant, run by Thames Water, treats sewage for 800,000 people in and around Edinburgh.
The volume of sewage going into the Forth estuary is a concern as it has the capacity to come back on to the shore Peter FarrerScottish Water
The volume of sewage going into the Forth estuary is a concern as it has the capacity to come back on to the shore Peter FarrerScottish Water
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency said emergency measures to "minimize the risk of pollution" were being put in place and warned the public not to come into contact with the water.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency said emergency measures to "minimize the risk of pollution" were being put in place and warned the public not to come into contact with the water.
Peter Farrer, general manager for Scottish Water, said: "There has been a catastrophic failure of one of the large pumps at Seafield which pumps waste water into the treatment works.
Peter Farrer, general manager for Scottish Water, said: "There has been a catastrophic failure of one of the large pumps at Seafield which pumps waste water into the treatment works.
"We have had teams of engineers working around the clock to try and rectify this problem.
"We have had teams of engineers working around the clock to try and rectify this problem.
"The pumps are on their way and when the pumps are put into place then that will rectify the problem."
"The pumps are on their way and when the pumps are put into place then that will rectify the problem."
Officials from the council on the shore near the sewage works
Officials from the council on the shore near the sewage works
The utility firm hopes that the overflow can be stemmed by Sunday evening.
Mr Farrer said the failure affected just one of the flows going into the treatment works and that Seafield continued to treat the rest of its intake as normal.
Mr Farrer said the failure affected just one of the flows going into the treatment works and that Seafield continued to treat the rest of its intake as normal.
He said it was impossible to stop the flow as the system is designed to use the emergency overflow into the Forth when something goes wrong.
He said it was impossible to stop the flow as the system is designed to use the emergency overflow into the Forth when something goes wrong.
Mr Farrer insisted that because the effluent was flowing through a screening process, which takes out solid material, "aesthetically you won't see anything from the discharge".
Mr Farrer insisted that because the effluent was flowing through a screening process, which takes out solid material, "aesthetically you won't see anything from the discharge".
Gordon Greenhill, head of community safety at Edinburgh City Council, said the sewage spill raised public health concerns but would not be a long-term environmental problem.
Gordon Greenhill, head of community safety at Edinburgh City Council, said the sewage spill raised public health concerns but would not be a long-term environmental problem.
"The volume of sewage going into the Forth estuary is a concern as it has the capacity to come back on to the shore," he said.
"The volume of sewage going into the Forth estuary is a concern as it has the capacity to come back on to the shore," he said.
"Any raw sewage has human pathogens in it which has the capacity to make people ill."
"Any raw sewage has human pathogens in it which has the capacity to make people ill."
Do you live near the Firth of Forth and have you been affected by the spill? Have you been on the waterfront and can you see the effects of the leak?Please send us your comments and experiences using the form below.
Do you live near the Firth of Forth and have you been affected by the spill? Have you been on the waterfront and can you see the effects of the leak?Please send us your comments and experiences using the form below.
