THE Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has come under fire from environmentalists for cutting back on monitoring for sewage pollution on beaches.

An analysis by the Sunday Herald has uncovered a 35% decline in sampling over the last five years, with nearly 800 fewer bathing water samples being tested in 2006 than in 2002.

Sepa also reduced the total number of beaches it monitored from 114 in 2002to101in2006.Thebeachat HelensburghinArgyllwasdropped from the list of those sampled last year, despite badly failing sewage safety limits for the previous five years.

Environmentalgroupsfearthat pollution incidents could go unnoticed because of the lack of monitoring.

"We have concerns that this may be a cost-cuttingexercise,"saidRichard Hardy from campaign group Surfers Against Sewage.

"Notmonitoringpopularbeaches puts the health of bathers and surfers at risk from pollution. Incidents are going to be missed if samples are not being taken."

The Marine Conservation Society is also worried that the cutbacks could damage the credibility of the monitoring regime. "We are concerned about such a substantial reduction," said the charity'scoastalpollutionofficer, Thomas Bell.

"Coupled with yearly changes to the sampling regime, it is starting to underminepublicconfidenceinSepa's generaloversightofbathingwater quality, and the bathing water tables published by the agency."

The society, which published its latest Good Beach Guide on Friday, initially acceptedthecaseforreducing monitoring of some cleaner beaches. But it wasn't sure that the promised reallocation of resources to more polluted beaches had been taking place.

Bell added: "We also believe that climate change will lead to increased problems with storm-related pollution, andwewouldprefertoseemore pollution data becoming available to the public rather than less."

Sepa said changes had been made to the monitoring arrangements so that more effort could be focused on the 63 officially designated bathing waters. "This is a sensible approach to using our resources well, especially given that we need to focus on our statutory duties,"saidSepa'senvironmental manager, Calum McPhail.

"When we have made changes there has been consultation with councils, the Scottish Executive, Clean Coast Scotland and the Marine Conservation Society, and we will continue to work with these and other organisations to help ensure Scotland enjoys excellent bathing water quality in years to come."