Scots beaches pass quality test

More than 60 of Scotland's beaches were monitored

All of Scotland's designated bathing beaches have passed water quality tests for the first time since monitoring began two decade ago.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said the good summer weather and investment in sewage treatment had helped.

However, campaigners have warned against complacency.

They said a stricter European directive was on the way which may leave the country's beaches struggling again.

Just over 60 of Scotland's most popular beaches are designated for monitoring.

However, every year there have been a clutch of failures, often on the Ayrshire coast.

In some cases the water continued to fail European standards despite investment in sewage treatment.

Heavy rainfall overwhelming the system and washing farmyard manure into water courses was blamed for the ongoing problems.