CONCERNS about the state of a giant asbestos pipeline running from Cockenzie to the ash lagoons in Musselburgh have resurfaced after photographs appeared to show the pipe exposed and its concrete casing crumbling.

The images, which were captured just a few feet from the sea at Prestonpans, have ignited a row over the safety of the pipe, which was once used to carry ash from Cockenzie Power Station to the lagoons.

Prestonpans Community Council has been calling on ScottishPower which has retained ownership of the now-disused pipe, to take action to avoid potential leakage of asbestos onto the beach, which they claim could be disastrous for the East Lothian coastline.

The energy firm insists it has a long-term maintenance programme in place to manage the pipee, despite the fact it has sold the former power station site – minus the pipe – to East Lothian Council.

The photos show some of the old pipe, which is encased in a concrete block commonly used as part of the John Muir Way, exposed where the concrete has broken down.

Further along the coast, three pipes which ScottishPower says are made from a more modern polypropylene and were not the cement pipes can be seen completely exposed as they come out of the concrete block, which appears to have been patched up in one corner with a wooden board.

A spokesperson for ScottishPower said work was taking place to fix the issues.

And by last weekend the exposed pipes had been covered over with more cement.

Ward councillor Lachlan Bruce launched a petition calling on ScottishPower to outline its plans for the future of the pipe after failing to get a response to letters he had written to the organisation.

He revealed he had since had a response to his questions, although not “as detailed” as he would have liked.

One question asked about the concrete encasement being used as part of an established public walkway.

ScottishPower said: “The route of the pipelines was not designed or built to be a public walkway. People using this as a walkway should be aware of this and consider the risk of slips, trips and falls over a surface that is often wet and slippery.”

ScottishPower has confirmed to the Courier that the original pipeline was made using “cement with a very small amount of asbestos mixed in, which was a common construction practice at the time”.

Community councillor Calum Miller said: “These pictures show how exposed the pipeline is and that the cement is crumbling, not to mention the erosion to the coastline around it. These pipes need to be removed before we have a disaster; Prestonpans beach is not a toxic dumping ground.”