City Council

10 years of floating rubbish

By The Basa ⋅ April 19, 2005 ⋅  Email this post ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

The tourist industry in Leith has had enough of the decade of floating rubbish going from Great Junction Street to the Docks. It seems with all the talk of the rich getting richer in Leith, the councillors have put their heads down and sent the spokeswoman out to say “We have been monitoring the situation and are looking [for] a way to remove the debris.”

It is interesting that although the Forth Ports Authoirty go from strength to strength in profits, they don’t spend that money on their community. Their weak reply was “We work with Edinburgh City Council to regularly clear refuse from the waterways at Victoria Bridge.”‘

Somebody is lying here. The Evening News has the facts:

1995: Council environmental services officer demanded an urgent clean-up of the water between the Victoria and Bernard Street bridges after residents and business owners branded it a health hazard.
1997: An Evening News investigation into who was responsible for cleaning the Leith waterfront prompted Forth Ports to send in a dredger within 24 hours. The firm pledged to meet the council to find a permanent solution.
2000: Edinburgh City Council agreed to stop wrangling with Forth Ports over ownership of the stretch of water and pledged to fund clean-ups.
2003: Restaurant owners at The Shore called for heads to be “banged together” after a row between the city council and Forth Ports left the river neglected and litter-strewn.
2004: The council pulled out of a deal to erect a £95,000 barrier to collect floating rubbish at West Bowling Green Street. They agreed to review the situation in 12 months.
March 2005: A major marketing campaign is launched to promote Leith as a “must-see” tourist attraction. 60,000 copies of a glossy VisitLeith guide, left, are handed out and a website is launched to market the area as a top spot for sightseeing, shopping and socialising.

More Info: Scandal of floating rubbish that’s drifted on for 10 years
Update: Stop passing the buck on Water of Leith mess

Random Posts you may have missed

• March 31, 2005 -- If Labour leaks, so can we all
• June 1, 2005 -- Comments from Readers
• April 27, 2005 -- SSP fails constituents in Edinburgh
• February 19, 2006 -- Is the Waterfront run by a cabal?
• September 14, 2005 -- City chief speaks with forked tongue

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