Members of the public have been warned to stay away from a four mile stretch of shoreline near Grangemouth following an oil spill in the Forth Estuary. Reports of spill residue being washed up at Bo'ness were first received on Sunday 24 June 2006, and Falkirk Council immediately activated its emergency response plan in order to contain the damage. A council spokesperson said that most of the residue had now been bagged and was awaiting disposal as hazardous waste. An oily film is however still visible on the surface of the water and the shoreline itself, and as a temporary precaution the public have been urged to stay clear from the shoreline between Blackness and the eastern area of Grangemouth.
Advisory signs were posted on Monday 25 June along the affected area, and teams from the council have been working with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Forth Ports and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to clear up the spill residue. The area in and around the affected zone is an internationally recognised and protected area for wildfowl and wading birds and their associated natural habitats. Council and SNH officials will continue to monitor various locations along the coastline to make sure the environment remains intact, while SEPA will investigate the exact causes of the spill.
Bob Main, head of environmental and regulator services at Falkirk Council said, "Teams will continue to patrol the coast to make sure it hasn't spread into any ecologically sensitive areas. We aren't aware of any immediate or significant impact on wildlife but we will continue to monitor the situation closely." This is the second incident of pollution in the area in recent months, and follows on from the sewage spill in the Firth of Forth after temporary pumping equipment at a pumping station failed, as we reported in the May 2007 Monthly Bulletin.
