A STORM erupted over the dumping of recycled waste on agricultural land yesterday, after animal waste and human sewage spilled into a burn feeding into the water supply.
Environmental protection officers were investigating the damage in Blairingone, Perthshire, after recycling firm Snowie Ltd accidentally spilled the mixture into the Birkie Burn, on the outskirts of the village.
Included in the mixture was animal and poultry waste, remains from tannery production, human sewage and chicken blood.
It is believed the firm managed to block off the burn before the pollution spread into the water system.
But campaigners who have been battling to stop Snowie dumping the waste in the fields immediately renewed calls for an end to the practice, saying it was a disaster waiting to happen.
Local campaigner Isobel Booth said: ''We've been warning of this danger for some time and now it has happened.
''It may not have got into the water supply this time, but what if things go wrong again and they are not so lucky? It just emphasises our concerns about this practice.''
The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency said yesterday it believed the accident happened when the firm burst a drainpipe as it injected the waste into the ground. The water poured out, washing the mixture into the burn at the side of the field.
The Birkie Burn runs into the Black Devon before linking up with Gartmorn Dam, which supplies water to the surrounding Central Belt area.
Snowie issued a statement confirming there was a spillage but said the water supply in the area was never in danger of being polluted.
Its spokesman said: ''There was a minor spillage of beneficial waste at Lambhill Farm, Blairingone, which was contained immediately.
''At no time was any water course in danger of contamination. SEPA are monitoring the situation closely.''
Samples of water from the burn and nearby Lambhill Burn were being taken for testing by SEPA officers yesterday.
Environmental health officers from both Clackmannanshire and Perth & Kinross Councils, which merge on the area, were also on the site checking the situation.
A spokeswoman for SEPA said it was called out at 6pm on Tuesday evening, after a complaint from a local resident.
She said: ''By the time our officers arrived the contractors had built a dam on the Birkie Burn to stop the pollution spreading.
''The water has quite a distance to travel before reaching Gartmorn Dam and the amount of pollution was small, so it is unlikely to have reached it. We are testing the water in the surrounding area and taking statements as we investigate the incident.''
Snowie bought the land in Blairingone from Scottish Coal after it finished mining there, and recycles waste products by injecting them into the ground at a depth of at least eight inches.
The firm claims the waste is beneficial to the agricultural land, but campaigners believe it could be setting up a disaster for the future.
Action committee organiser Archie Bone said: ''How can blood and tissue from dead animals and human excrement be good for our land?''
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