Scottish Water is starting to clamp down on commercial premises that discharge cooking fats into the countries sewers by handing them a fine of £40,000.
It costs Scottish Water £2m every year to unblock the countries sewers after they have become clogged with congealed fat. And it warns that unless companies do something to alleviate the problem, overflowing drains and sewers could become a common occurrence.
Most sewer problems caused by congealed fats are due to the irresponsible actions of takeaway and restaurant owners who pour fats down their drains. So Scottish Water has released a list of the top 10 problem areas as it aims to highlight the issues it has to face on a daily basis.
The list of offenders includes tourist destinations St Andrews and Edinburgh. Alex Milligan, Scottish Water’s trade effluent advisor stated:
“The impact is not just on locals but on the tourist industry as well,
“You can imagine what it must be like, visiting a town or a village and the first thing you see is sewage running down the road. It doesn’t exactly enhance the tourist experience.”
Scottish Water is hoping commercial establishments start to use grease traps on drains as is commonplace in many other countries in the EU. The traps stop the grease from clogging the sewage system and can not only relieve blockage issues for Scottish Water; they can also alleviate problems for the business owner as well.