AN ARROCHAR guest house owner is kicking up a stink about the “unbearable” flow of raw sewage into Loch Long.

Brenda MacCrimmon, who owns Fascadail Country Guest House, has hit out at the stench which often emanates from the loch following the discharge of sewage and toiletries into the water, raising concerns over health and a potential detrimental effect on tourism in the area.

Mrs MacCrimmon, 58, told the Advertiser: “Everyone passes the buck. Villagers are beside themselves.

“All the c**p culminates around the jerry.

“It smells like poo through almost the whole village at some points, yet Scottish Water and SEPA try to claim that it’s rotting vegetation.

“We know the difference.”

Originally from Mobile, Alabama, former US Navy Commander Brenda bought Fascadail Country Guest House with her husband Stuart last May.

She and Stuart, still a serving Royal Marine Commando, met each other in Norway at the Military Joint Warfighting Centre, and later in Afghanistan.

Mrs MacCrimmon explained that, upon taking over the guest house, she took time to get to know the lie of the land – but her frustration has now boiled over.

“I ran my B&B for the first year,” she said, “and took in all the negativity quietly, but now I’ve finally started asking questions and inquiring about our lack of even basic services.

“I have guests who have been coming here for over 20 years and they have started saying ‘What has happened to Arrochar?’ They are seeing the decline.”

It is understood that waste in the area flows up or down the A83 from either Tarbet, Succoth or the Loch Long Hotel in Arrochar, to the upper part of Church Road where the old septic tank is located, next to the fire station.

Another pumping route flows under the Shore Road along the Loch, up Church Road to the tank.

Then “brown water,” which is supposed to be nearly drinkable, is then pumped back down through pipers under Cobbler View Road and possibly other locations, into Loch Long.

Mrs MacCrimmon has spoken to fellow business owners in the area about the issue.

She remains concerned that the problem could escalate when new housing is built in the areaaand has written to Argyll and Bute’s MP Brendan O’Hara with her concerns.

Mr O’Hara told the Advertiser: “It is always worrying to hear reports of Scottish Water dumping untreated sewage into Loch Long near Arrochar, a popular destination in my constituency.

“I understand that this poses a considerable risk to the environment, to human health and to the local fishing industry.

“I have written to SEPA asking for an urgent explanation and to ask what steps they are taking to minimise the chances of this happening again.”

A spokesperson for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) told the Advertiser: “We have investigated a number of reports of raw sewage in Loch Long and found no evidence of sewage pollution in this area.

“Scottish Water assets were inspected as part of our investigation and, while there was no polluting discharge, an unpleasant odour was identified and referred to Argyll and Bute Council’s environmental health department.

“SEPA officers also noted a substantial amount of rotting seaweed was causing unpleasant odours in the area around Loch Long.

“We continue to encourage anyone who spots signs of pollution to contact SEPA via the pollution hotline 0800 80 70 60 or online at sepa.org.uk/report.”