Man stages protest in Clydebank as tampon applicators wash up on shore

John Boy Hughes, 63, has worked in recycling all his life and enjoys visiting Bowling and Old Kilpatrick every Sunday where he picks up litter that washes up on the beaches.

Recently, he noticed a new type of plastic infiltrating the shore - tampon applicators.

The plastic tubes -predominantly blue- used to insert the sanitary product, have been turning up in their hundreds.

John has picked up 'dozens' of applicators on the beach (Image: Newsquest) John said: "For 20 years, I've been down on the beach between Bowling and Old Kilpatrick and I take plastic bottles out of the water every Sunday. I take them to the nearby dump.

"In the last couple of years, these things have been arriving. I call them blue bullets.

"It's intensified recently, it's been three or four years since the first ones started arriving."

He has called upon the nearby Saur Dalmuir Waste Water Treatment Works (DWWTW) to 'fix their filters' to stop the 'blue bullets going into the water'.

He stood outside the gates of the plant on five days last week.

John has brought with him his 'Wendy House' and other salvaged items in order to draw attention to his cause.

The Wendy House has been sitting at the plant on five days last week. (Image: Newsquest) He showed the Glasgow Times one of his signs which he says 'paints a message' about his concerns.

John says this sign 'shows the message' of his protest. (Image: Newsquest)

Another display of John's is a shark named Feargal in tribute to the lead singer of the band Undertones, Feargal Sharkey, who campaigns for clean water.

'Feargal' has been parled at the entrance to the plant as part of the protest. (Image: Newsquest) John added: "I was down the beach one day, stupid early, I often look for phosphorus stones that glow in the dark and there I saw a pair of otters in the water.

"It's all my Christmases added up seeing these otters. They are going to ingest these bullets [applicators].

"The whole ecosystem of this water is tied together and these guys [Saur] aren’t playing ball.

"They deny, deny, deny.

"This is the way I know how to grab attention."

A sign outside the wastewater treatment plant (Image: Newsquest) Scottish Water, who run the Dalmuir Waste Water Treatment Works, says they have effective screening for such issues as plastic wipes and sanitary products and insists that there is no issue with its filters.

A Scottish Water spokesperson said: “If sewer-related debris washes up on beaches it is a direct result of people flushing inappropriate items down toilets rather than using a bin.

“That is why we launched our Nature Calls campaign which successfully called for a ban on wipes containing plastic and reminds people to only flush the three ‘Ps’ – pee, poo and (toilet) paper.

“We are also investing record amounts – nearly three billion pounds over the past decade – to address the triple challenge of ageing assets, increasing demand and climate change.

“By working together, we can protect properties, communities and the environment.”