THE MYSTERY of a paint-like substance spotted by members of the public on the Fife coast and across Scotland has been solved by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

Scientists from the watchdog's national monitoring team collected samples and identified the strange material as harmless conifer pollen.

Myles O’Reilly, senior marine ecologist from the SEPA, said: “At this time of year, the public can expect to see yellowish slicks of pollen deposits collecting on shorelines around Scotland.

"Around April and May, conifer trees, such as spruce or pine, produce copious quantities of pollen.

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"Conifer pollen grains have little buoyancy sacs to help them disperse in the wind, and these sacs also mean they float well on water.

“The pollen deposits can form a mat or slick on the sea, collect around the seashore and look like a paint-like substance covering rocks and beaches.

"It can also coat parked vehicles and stationary objects which may look like a yellow dust.”

He said that, during the summer months, there may be other natural occurring events, including the presence of algal plankton blooms which can discolour water or form shoreline slicks or scums.

Anyone who spots anything they think might be a potential pollution incident can contact SEPA on 0800 80 70 60 or report it via their website - https://www.sepa.org.uk/.