A campervan hire firm is to be given a fixed penalty notice after the occupants of one of its campervans discharged waste water into a drain in the Scottish Highlands, it has been claimed.
The campervan users were today (4 July) photographed in the village of Lochinver emptying waste water into a drain, according to Assynt Community Council secretary Phil Jones.
Highland Council, SEPA and Police Scotland are urging people to dispose of their waste responsibly and ask anyone who witnesses the illegal disposal of motorhome, campervan and caravan waste to report it.
Fixed penalty notices can be served on the person in control of a vehicle and, if served, are £200.
In a post on Facebook page NC500 The Dirty Truth, Mr Jones said: “A campervan was photographed on the main street in our village outside the shops discharging their wastewater into a drain which empties into the estuary directly across the road.
“There is a campervan waste facility less than 500 yards along the road.”
Related: Falls of Foyers toilet and motorhome waste facilities open
Mr Jones said the photographs had been sent to the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA).
“SEPA phoned me back confirming they will contact the hire firm and issue a fixed penalty notice,” he said.
“A small step but it goes to prove that there are systems in place to deter or punish this offensive behaviour.”
Mr Jones told Van Life Matters: “The rules are clear.
“Waste water from campervans should not be discharged without proper waste disposal points.
“Direct discharge into drains that then enter water courses pollutes the environment and endangers wildlife.”
Van Life Matters has contacted SEPA for comment.
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1 comment
Thanks for highlighting the story. I’m wondering if there is a belief that it was the black toilet water that was being released and if so, then the reporting and fine are fully justified. However, if it was simple grey water, that’s left over from the sink or a shower, then this is exactly the same water as is emptied hourly and safely, into the many miles of Britains canal networks and has absolutely no impact whatsoever on the environment. If it’s simply the grey waste that the camper was releasing, then it highlights the ignorance of the person reporting it and how they don’t understand how the systems work in a camper and is simple more spiteful hate that seems to be appearing daily towards campers. Many campsites ask the camper vans to discharge their waste into their hedges and some straight onto the grass, as it helps in these times of water shortages.