Tip spill fears at tourist beach

By Kevin Keane
BBC Scotland news website Fife reporter

Sea defences put in during 2000 have reached the end of their life

Concerns have been raised that a former council tip on a cliff in Fife may be inches from washing into the sea.

The Coast and Countryside Trust has urged the local authority to take action to prevent rubbish contaminating the Eden Estuary, a conservation area.

Concern was voiced that stronger waves caused by climate change could cause the tip, at St Andrews, to erode.

Fife Council increased the priority status of the dump, on West Sands, after it was declared safe in 2002.

Legislation tightening the controls surrounding tips were brought in during the 1970s.

Dumps which pre-date the law come with very little documentation about their precise location or contents.

There is potential for the old landfill site itself becoming eroded and contaminating the River Eden Chris Ewing Fife Council

An artificial beach protecting the area was built in 2000 and was designed to be gradually washed away. That has now reached the end of its cycle.

Coastal ranger Ranald Strachan told the BBC Scotland news website: "The worst case scenario would be that the tip is breached and that materials would leach and come out of the tip site.

"The natural defences currently around the tip site are probably inadequate for what we consider to be the future climate changes that will affect this coastline."

Studies are being carried out at St Andrews University into the changing sea and sand patterns around the mouth of the estuary.

They have concluded that protection is being rapidly lost.

Dr Emma Defew, who is conducting the research, said: "Increased storminess, increased sea-level rise [contribute] and also the fact that the salt marshes around the estuary have also been disappearing quite a lot.

"What they do is form a natural barrier to defend the land against the sea and, because these areas have been reducing, we are losing that protection."

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The area of beach that could be affected

Fife Council said is has about 7,000 potentially contaminated sites across the area which are constantly monitored.

The tip was given a "desktop examination" six years ago and classified as low-priority.

However, following the warnings about the risk the site now poses, it was reclassified.

Environmental sustainability manager, Chris Ewing, said: "There is potential for the old landfill site itself becoming eroded and contaminating the River Eden.

"We have instructed further work to be done by our consultants which will involve some intrusive investigations and that will hopefully tell us whether there are any continuing problems that need to be addressed."

The West Sands in St Andrews were recently given a European Blue Flag award for cleanliness.

Behind the beach lies the Jubilee Golf Course, belonging to the St Andrews Links Trust.

The Trust has previously funded sea defence work and said it wanted further measures to be put in place.

Gordon Moir, who is in charge of the greens, said: "Obviously the golf in St Andrews has a huge economic impact on the town and the immediate area so it is vitally important that we do protect the courses, not just for the golfers but for everybody's sake."