An old Perthshire rubbish dump is contaminating the River Ericht with landfill waste dating back decades.
Household rubbish, plastic bags and industrial waste is seeping out of the ground at the river in a location east of Blairgowrie.
The waste is from a historical landfill site on the bank of the river.
A toothpaste tube appearing to be from the 1960s was among the rubbish found at the river’s edge.
The problem persists despite an £80,000 project to remove, cap and contain the landfill.
It is understood the waste from local households and factories was buried at the site on the south bank of the river between the 1940s and 1970s.
River convener Robert Kellie has called for the course of the Ericht to be diverted so it avoids the “soft” river bank to the south.
“The river changes its course often through the winter months,” he said.
“This is an old dump face that was capped off a long time ago, and the river has changed its course and pushed into the soft banks.
It really needs to be sorted.”
Robert Kellie.
“At the moment, there’s plastic coming out. It’s not good.
“We don’t want plastic in the environment. It affects the wildlife on the river – the otters, the beavers, any wildfowl.
“It really needs to be sorted.”
‘Gravel island’
Mr Kellie said the £80,000 project to repair the river bank had not gone far enough along the river.
He said one solution would be to move a “gravel island” with bulldozers to alter the river’s course.
Scottish Environment Protection Agency is aware of the pollution from the historical landfill at the Ericht.
The agency said it is working with Perth and Kinross Council and the landowner to explore potential solutions to the erosion.