Take care of Strath
Visitors to the Strath and beyond have been urged to‘leave it as you found it’when camping in the area’s beauty spots.
While most visitors are respectful of their surroundings, locals, Perth and Kinross Council officers, Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service have joined forces to call on anyone wishing to enjoy the area’s natural beauty to behave responsibly in the wake of a rise in the number of visitors to certain areas as a consequence of the coronvirus pandemic ruling out trips further afield.
Additionally, motorists have been reminded to park their vehicles responsibly and to obey all road signs.
Motorists who refuse to comply with these restrictions could be fined, or risk having their vehicles removed.
Police and parking attendants have also pledged to carry out additional patrols in areas where there have been significant numbers of wild campers, such as in the vicinity of Loch Earn.
Barbara Renton is the executive director of housing and environment at Perth and Kinross Council.
She said:“We are fortunate to live in an area of great natural beauty, and we work hard to maintain it.
“People who behave irresponsibly can spoil it for others and their actions can damage the environment, cost public money, and put themselves and others in danger.
“We’ve set up a multi-agency group with Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue and want to extend that to communities, and local partners, to manage the situation and take action where necessary, including a communications campaign to promote good behaviour, and also take enforcement action if necessary
“We are asking people to enjoy the great outdoors responsibly, and not spoil it for others.”
Police Scotland Inspector Craig Stephen said:“We are asking people to take personal responsibility to do the right thing and remember the purpose of these measures is to aid the collective effort to stay safe, protect others and save lives by preventing the virus from spreading.
“Our officers will continue to engage with the public, explain the legislation and guidance and encourage compliance. We will use enforcement as a last resort only where there is a clear breach of the legislation.
“We recognise that people have made significant sacrifices but we would ask people to use their judgement and avoid places which are busy to stop our beauty spots from becoming over-crowded.”
Billy McLintock is a group commander with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service locally.
He said:“During July we have been working with our partners to help keep areas of natural beauty around Perth and Kinross both clean and safe.
“We absolutely welcome people to this region.
“But we’re also keen to ensure everyone has a safe summer and will engage with those who visit sites to ensure they are aware of dangers.”