Wester Ross company under fire for Lochbroom 'industrial waste' pledges post-Babet clean-up

Wester Ross Salmon has been put under fire after being called out by local activists for leaving "industrial mess" on the shores of Lochbroom, in the aftermath of Storm Babet.

Ullapool environmentalist Ailsa McLellan tweeted pictures of the waste to her 1800 Twitter (X) followers, where she called for the company to "dispose of their waste responsibly" and claimed that the 'moulting polystyrene' had been "sitting degrading for months".

The tweet amassed 13,500 views, and soon received a response from local child–led environmental activism group, the Ullapool Sea Savers. They hit out, asking: "Why do children and volunteers have to beach clean the rubbish/industrial waste caused by multimillion pound industrial fish farmers?"

A day after the tweets made by Ailsa McLellan and the Ullapool Sea Savers, Wester Ross Salmon released a statement about the issue on their social media, on October 27.

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They said: "A recent storm has damaged our old pen system that has just been upgraded and was destined for disposal. We have received reports of some materials found washed up on shore nearby – we appreciate the notice and will attend to this immediately.

"A contractor is scheduled for next week to remove and properly dispose of the remaining old pens. Wester Ross has always been conscientious in performing regular beach cleans and we thank you for your patience while we attend to the storm damage."

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