Scottish waterways analysed in new report

The waterways of Scotland - including its famous network of lochs - have been examined in a new report.

The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency's (SEPA) paper found that 57 per cent of the country's waterways are of a good standard or higher.

However, 38 per cent failed to meet the acceptable standards on the set scale, whose levels ranged from bad to high.

Among those that did not meet the quality standards, including Loch Lomond and the Spey River.

A spokeswoman for SEPA stated the main reasons why some of the nation's water fell below par is "agricultural diffuse pollution [and] morphological changes, which means engineering works, such as culverting or straightening".

Following the results, SEPA has announced plans to improve quality by 2015 and aims to boost 10 per cent of the country's waterways into acceptable categories by then.

In other water news, Grays Harbour Ocean Energy has applied for a permit to launch a study into the possibility of harnessing wave power in seven sites off the US coastline.