'Stinking blood' seeping into unspoilt Highland river as watchdogs probe discharge

The incident is being investigated by eco watchdog SEPA after Fort William locals flagged the 'stinking' blood and effluent flowing into the River Lochy.

Shocking images have shown “blood” seeping into a pristine Highland river with the discharge being probed by eco watchdogs.

Fort William locals flagged the “stinking” blood and effluent flowing into the River Lochy over the weekend. Despite claims the discharge looks like fishfarm waste, Norwegian salmon giant Mowi, which has a processing plant nearby, has denied responsibility for the incident.

Further images taken yesterday showed what appeared to be fish scales on the surface of the water. The River Lochy is a famous wild salmon river beloved by anglers and fly-fishers.

A resident of the Lochyside area of Fort William, who didn’t wish to be named, told the Record: “Where I stay, I’m only about two minutes away from where that was coming out into the River Lochy. On Sunday night, I took the dog out and went down there.

“The tide had come in but the blood had been pushed upstream to a shallow point which you can walk across.

“It was all contaminated. You could smell it – it was stinking. You can smell the blood and the fish.”

Mowi Scotland said that it had investigated the leak and did not believe it had come from its plant.

In 2005, under its old company name Marine Harvest, the firm was fined £4000 for contaminating the River Lochy with fish guts, blood and grease.

A spokeswoman for Mowi Scotland said: “Mowi has undertaken its own investigation into the incident at the River Lochy where local people reported a red discharge. Mowi is confident the discharge did not come from its facility at the Blar Mhor industrial estate.

“Mowi has checked all its operating procedures as well as the effluent system and CCTV. The effluent is cleaned onsite by a water treatment process that removes contaminants from water.

“Following this process, the effluent is only discharged to the Scottish Water treatment works at Caol Point.

“Mowi is not the only business which processes this type of material on the Blar Mhor Industrial Estate but is the only one regulated by Sepa.”

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A spokeswoman for Sepa said: “Sepa officers are investigating a potential pollution incident at River Lochy, near Fort William.”

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