Sepa thinks Dighty oil spill poses little risk to environment

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency does not think the pollution scare in the Dighty Burn in Dundee has posed a significant environmental risk.

A quantity of oil leaked into the burn from a surface water drain in the Baldovie area and was first noticed on Tuesday.

Sepa and Scottish Water took swift action by spreading booms across the burn at the drain to mop up the oil, and began checking for any sign of pollution downstream.

Sepa said it is continuing to investigate the pollution incident to assess the environmental impact of the oil on the watercourse.

A spokesman continued: “We are satisfied that the oil containment measures are working effectively at present and we don’t anticipate that the incident has posed a significant environmental risk.”

The storm water drain is south of the DERL incinerator at Baldovie.

The authorities have ruled out the energy-from-waste plant as the source of the spill.