Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Campers leave human waste at city reservoir
WILD campers are polluting land beside a reservoir which provides tap water for 300,000 people in Dundee and across Tayside.
Scottish Water stressed the water is safe to drink but will be taking action after human excrement, rubbish and camping equipment were left on the shores of Lintrathen Loch outside Kirriemuir.
Residents and community leaders are also up in arms.
One resident described the mess left behind as “foul and disgusting”.
He said: “They have been coming here in their dozens camping at the shores of the loch then driving off and leaving all their rubbish behind them.”
Gareth and Claire Finn, who run the Lodge of the Loch and the Wee Bear Cafe, said they counted 14 tents last weekend but reckoned more were hidden in the wooded area.
Gareth said: “This is a new thing up here. We never normally get this number of people camping here.
“I have no objection to people camping but surely there is no need to leave this amount of litter. There are no real facilities for litter, but people could be taking it home with them.”
Scottish Water, which runs the loch and nearby Backwater Reservoir, said it had become increasingly frustrated at the “irresponsible behaviour of some visitors to the area, including so-called wild campers.”
The utility company said fires were left on a beach, litter and rubbish was discarded at various locations, pop-up tents and gazebos abandoned, and human excrement left behind.
Brian McCarthy, Scottish Water’s reservoir manager, said: “All drinking water is monitored against stringent regulatory requirements and our treatment processes are designed to achieve these standards, but we would obviously urge people not to leave human waste near raw water reservoirs like Lintrathen in the first place. We want everyone in the area to be able to enjoy the amenities around the reservoirs, as we do at reservoirs throughout Scotland, and to do so in a responsible way.”
Councillor Julie Bell said she completely understood why people would want to enjoy the fresh air. “However, with the rights of access come the responsibilities enshrined in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code,” she said.
“The culprits are not true ‘wild campers’ but are leaving a trail of destruction and mess. If they learn to respect the interests of other people, if they truly care for the environment, and if they take responsibility for their own actions then they will become wild campers.”
She said many local businesses were suffering from the impact of “thoughtless, destructive actions” while working so hard to rebuild post-lockdown.