Scottish Water has apologised after human faeces and used condoms polluted a Fife beach for almost a week.
Alarmed residents in Lower Largo tried for several days to report the issue which caused sewage to wash onto the sand and nearby car park.
Cars leaving the area dragged the muck up the street past nearby homes.
However, locals complained they could not get through to the water company on the phone and it didn’t respond to emails.
And it was only when someone found an email for the firm’s chief executive that action was finally taken.
Scottish Water’s response to the emergency has been described as “appallingly bad”.
Lib Dem councillor Eugene Clarke said: “It’s shocking. It was a real struggle to contact them.
“Meanwhile, there were children and dog walkers sharing a beach with raw sewage.”
Lower Largo sewage leak ‘finally getting sorted’
Lower Largo woman Janice Duncan noticed the sewage last Friday afternoon and attempted to report it on Monday.
She said: “I realised at the start of the week how bad it was.
“There were faeces, toilet paper and condoms everywhere.
“Scottish Water came out and looked at it but didn’t do anything.
“It’s right outside our houses on the bit where everybody walks on the coastal path.
“I tried phoning a few more times and then a neighbour managed to get the chief executive’s email.”
Dr Duncan was delighted when officials finally turned up on Thursday morning.
“They’re here today and it looks as if it’s finally getting sorted,” she said.
“There’s a whole team of people and they’ve been very helpful.
“They’re trying to get it cleaned up today after realising how bad it is.”
This week’s issue follows another leak in the area in September.
Scottish Water apology to customers
Scottish Water confirmed the issue was caused by a sewer system fault in Lower Largo.
A spokesperson said: “We believe there is a break in the sewer and are in the process of developing a solution for the repair.
“We understand the frustration that issues like this cause and will be on site today to carry out a clean-up.”
And they added: “We would like to apologise to those customers who struggled to get through to us.
“We respond to issues across Scotland 24/7 and at times our contact centre and teams of engineers may take longer to respond than normal.
“We will keep the community updated on this issue.”
Conversation