FED-UP families in Charlestown plagued by pollution and raw sewage say they are sick of being “fobbed off” by Scottish Water.

The community has been battling the corporation for several years to fix overflowing sewers that feed straight in to the Lyne Burn and end up on beaches. 

Locals on picturesque walks have found sanitary towels, wipes, tampons and even false teeth!

Lorna Wilkie (pictured), a member of the community council, said: “It would be nice not to have to look at sanitary products when you’re walking around! 

“People shouldn’t be flushing these things down the loo – it’s just absolutely horrible!

“When the pipes get blocked up it is overflowing, and we basically get everyone’s crap from Dunfermline on our doorstep. 

“The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) have been really helpful but Scottish Water have just fobbed us off.

“Relatively speaking it’s not a big cost – they can put some mesh over the overflows – but it’s just not a priority for them. 

“They continue to say that they are surveying the whole of the Forth but when are they going to finish their investigation?!

“It’s just disgusting that we have to walk through this stuff.”

Dunfermline MSP Shirley-Anne Somerville said the way the public had been treated was unacceptable. 

“I have contacted Scottish Water and SEPA to press for steps to be taken to deal with this problem. Urgent action is required to protect the beaches and woodland areas next to the villages,” she said. 

“So far the community’s calls for help have been ignored. It’s simply not acceptable for members of the public to be treated in this way.”

A spokesman for Scottish Water said: “Scottish Water are aware of local concerns and we are committed to do all we can to prevent any issues in streams, rivers and the sea, and we are continually investing to improve the waters around Scotland.

“We have been closely monitoring local beaches and nearby outfalls and carrying out regular maintenance work on our local assets to ensure they are operating as they should be.

“We are also in regular contact with the Marine Conservation Society who share data from their beach clean events with us.

“Our initial investigations into the issue raised seem to suggest that some debris found on the local beaches may be from sources other than our network and we will continue to investigate going forward.

“We will continue to work with the local community, who we are delighted to see we are getting behind the important messages in the Scottish Water Cycle campaign.”

Rob Morris, SEPA area manager, said: “SEPA works every day to protect Scotland’s environment and when we are aware of water pollution reports, we investigate.

"Following recent reports of sewage-related debris last week on the Lyne Burn near Charlestown, a SEPA officer visited the area to carry out an inspection.

"Our investigation found no evidence of a discharge but did note the presence of sewage-related debris. The officer has since spoken to Scottish Water and directed them to carry out a clean-up, which our staff will assess.”

Scottish Water is carrying out an extensive study of the Forth estuary to work out whether there are any sections of the system which are not performing as they should.

The overflows are designed to discharge during high rainfall but should not do so in dry weather conditions. 

Anyone who sees a discharge of sewage in the Lyne Burn or surrounding watercourses can contact SEPA via their 24-hour pollution hotline on 0800 80 70 60.