Hundreds of fish found dead in Linlithgow Loch

The lake attracts special attention and is a major tourist attraction.

Located next to the lake, Linlithgow Palace is the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots and James V. It has been described as Scotland’s finest surviving late medieval secular building.

Mr Lambert asked Historic Environment Scotland, which owns the site, to send a ranger to remove the fish but was said to have been advised by Sepa to abandon them until the investigation was completed.

A spokesman for Historic Environment Scotland said: “We continue to work closely with Sepa as we conduct an investigation.

“Our rangers are monitoring any further changes and, as a precaution, we advise the public to avoid the area in question while further investigation is carried out.”

There are now concerns that other wildlife could be poisoned by eating the fish that were still there on Friday.

A spokesman for Sepa said: “We received reports of a number of dead fish being found in Linlithgow Loch on 11 November and officers attended the site the following day.

“We continue to work with our partners as we investigate the potential causes of the incident.”

A Scottish Water spokesman said: “We have found no problems with any of our infrastructure in the area but we will assist Sepa with any investigations carried out.”