WASTE from the Tarbolton Moss Landfill spilling into local rivers could be ‘catastrophic’.

Locals residents are becoming increasingly concerned over desolated land at the landfill site after its owners when into liquidation in June and are no longer managing the area.

Due to this, there is a sense of unease of what impact the waste left at the Tarbolton Landfill could have on both the environment of the local rivers and the environment of the village.

Samantha Brown, of the Clean Up Tarbolton Woods Campaign (CUTWC) believes that it could be ‘catastrophic’ if something isn’t done to prevent the waste affecting the local environment.

She said: “We have had the Ayrshire Rivers Trust to test the waters and we are going to keep in touch with them. We are very concerned about what could this could do to the environment – not just the waters but the environment in the village as well.

“The Water Fail, that runs through Tarbolton Woods, connects to the River Ayr and we are trying to clear it out as much as we can.

“The woods have been used a lot since the new bridge was built and there are walkers and dog walkers there all the time.

“The longer that this [problem] is left – what is the damage going to do? This could be catastrophic. The more prevention that is done the better than to wait until something happens.”

A ‘rigorous’ environmental assessment was previously carried out at the Tarbolton Moss Landfill site by SEPA.

Prior to the company going into liquidation, SEPA’s assessment pointed out that the site does not pose an ‘immediate risk’.

Chris Dailly, SEPA’s Acting Head of West Region, explained: “Prior to the company entering voluntary liquidation, SEPA had been actively engaging with the operator. A rigorous environmental assessment has subsequently been completed, which shows that [the site] does not pose an immediate risk of serious pollution to the environment or local communities in its current state.

“SEPA continues to carry out an increased level of site inspections to keep this under review and are liaising with Scottish Government regarding the next steps for the site.

"SEPA met the Tarbolton Community Council and remain committed to providing regular updates on developments at the landfill.”