Health concerns have been raised about ongoing dust problems in Fairlie.

Furthermore, several pictures appeared on a Fairlie Facebook page showing dust on cars in the Main Street, and windows along the seafront, from last Thursday morning.

The matter was also raised during the recent community council meeting, after there was a clear smell of dust on the beach during a recent Sunday evening.

Councillor Joan Doanie said that she could almost ‘taste the coal dust’ such was the strength of the smell when walking down The Causeway to the beach.

There were reports given at the meeting that a grandmother who lives beside Fairlie beach has refused to allow her grandchildren to visit over concerns regarding the dust problem.

Last year following regular complaints, Clydeport sent one of their own officers to examine the dust problem in the village, but reported they believed the dirt on vehicles was originating from the road, and not the coal terminal, but were set to investigate further.

Following the latest concerns raised, acting chairman of Fairlie Council, Steve Graham, said that he would raise the dust concerns during their next liaison meeting with Clydeport.

Last year, we reported that Clydeport had set up a new dust management plan after they were rapped by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) following two cases of dust emissions in 2013.

North Ayrshire councillor Tom Marshall, who has been critical of the coal dust problems in the past, said: “It is totally unacceptable that a coastal village like Fairlie should be inflicted by windborne dust, if that is indeed the case.

“There would obviously be a health issue if people are in danger of ingesting fine particles.

“There is no excuse for dust being emitted into the atmosphere - but it could be sand dust carried from the Sahara. It is something that would need to be analysed - and a definite conclusion needs to be made. We need to give Clydeport the benefit of the doubt until we can ascertain the facts of the matter.” A spokesperson for SEPA said: “We have received a number of complaints from members of the public in relation to coal dust from Hunterston Terminal.

“We have been in attendance on several occasions to carry out investigations in response to these complaints, and are continuing to monitor coal dust deposition levels at four locations within the village boundary.

“SEPA will continue to work with the site operators and regulate coal handling operations at Hunterston Terminal to ensure compliance with the relevant environmental legislation. “We would advise members of the public to contact our pollution hotline on 0800 80 70 60 if they have information regarding coal dust from the site or to report any other potential pollution events.” A spokesperson for Peel Ports said: “We’re very sensitive to the need to reduce any environmental impact on our neighbours and have spent almost £70,000 on specialist environmental services to ensure that we reduce dust and noise pollution to the lowest possible levels.

“We carried out a full review of our dust suppression systems in 2012/13 and have invested heavily in screening and dust atomisers, as well as odour control treatments.

“We regularly monitor our performance against strict environmental standards and are pleased that overall environmental performance of the site is significantly better than in previous years, but we remain committed to continuing our efforts to ensure we are truly industry-leading in this important area.”