Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Fears pollution from former mine works could kill River Leven salmon

Stewart Grieve, chairman of the River Leven Angling Club, left, and Mr McGlashan.
Stewart Grieve, chairman of the River Leven Angling Club, left, and Mr McGlashan.

Scotland’s environment watchdog is investigating pollution affecting the River Leven amid fears it could kill the salmon population and impact on the wider ecology.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) believes the toxic orange discharge further up the waterway is caused by old coal mine workings and may originate from the former Westfield site near Cardenden.

They warned the problem could get worse if the prolonged dry weather continues over the coming weeks.

Anglers claim the ferrous pollution is likely to cause considerable damage to water life over several miles of river and have called for urgent action.

The fears come as authorities prepare to invest several thousands of pounds to transform the river into an attractive tourism destination as part of the River Leven Programme.

Brian McGlashan, vice chairman of the River Leven Angling Club, said pollution from former mine works had been an ongoing problem  but was now worse than ever, despite a previous Sepa investigation in 2011.

His own investigations have revealed the orange colour begins at the Lochty Burn, just outside Kinglassie, and becomes dirtier as it continues downstream.

The Lochty runs into the River Ore at Thornton, which in turn leads into the River Leven.

“There’s not one invertebrate in the Lochty just now and that’s what’s going to happen in the River Leven if nothing is done,” Mr McGlashan said.

“We’ve already noticed we’re not getting any salmon.

“Five years ago we had 50 to 60 salmon to our own rods. Last year it was zero.”

He said there was little point in investing in the Leven unless the problem was tackled at source.

Kirkcaldy SNP MSP David Torrance said the damage to water life was already considerable.

“Clearly the problem is not new but nine years later it has not been remedied,” he said.

“This is extremely disappointing and completely unacceptable.

“The Levenmouth area is benefitting from significant amounts of public investment in relation to the rail link being reopened and the creation of a riverside walk.

“It is crucial for the natural environment there and all along the river system to be protected.”

Sepa said it took reports of pollution very seriously.

A spokesman said: “A sustained period of dry weather could result in further reductions in river flows and increased mine water impacts over the coming weeks, and over a sustained period of time iron could have an impact on the ecology of the river.”

He said comprehensive monitoring was being done and a sustainable solution sought.

“We are working with other partners, including Fife Council and the landowners, to resolve these impacts,” he said.

Sepa has urged the community to continue to report incidents of pollution online at www.sepa.org.uk/report