Work on a major north-east road project has been delayed by a week after fears were raised about flooding and pollution.
Construction on the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) has been halted while officers from Scotland’s Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) investigate pollution following recent flooding.
It is understood heavy rain in the region caused silt to wash into tributaries of both the River Dee and Don.
Calum MacDonald, executive director of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), said: “Due to the potential scale of pollution, Aberdeen Roads Limited has voluntarily halted construction work on the project.
This will allow for AWPR contractors to provide assurance to SEPA, within seven days, that adequate measures and monitoring are in place to protect against potential pollution.
During this time, SEPA officers will continue to inspect the entirety of the route to identify the sources and impact of pollution on the wider water environment, which includes protected spawning grounds for salmon and freshwater pearl mussels. Transport Scotland is supporting SEPA with its ongoing investigation.”
good should never have been allowed in the first place