The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Crackdown on wild camps and rogue parking
Police and councils act amid fears of tourists flouting restrictions
Tourists in Highland Perthshire have been spotted flouting “no parking” restrictions along rural roads as the local authority attempts to crack down on wild campers.
Several cars were parked directly beside restriction signs on the way to Schiehallion, near the Braes of Foss car park, on Wednesday at around 3pm.
Andy Ferguson, who photographed the vehicles, said: “Two yellow lines and a traffic warden and they probably wouldn’t take any notice of that either.”
Locals called for tickets to be handed out to motorists who continue to ignore the signs.
One said: “They need to start lifting all the cars and charging £100 per hour for storage.”
Tayside Police say they have stepped up patrols in the area recently and had asked drivers to move from a number of areas, including Schiehallion, Loch Clunie and Loch Tummel.
A spokesperson said: “Some issues were found with inconsiderate parking near Schiehallion.
“Despite a plethora of signage along with the deer fencing, numerous cars were parked on the verges.
“We are hoping to arrange for parking attendants to look at this over the coming weekend.
“A number of people were asked to move cars parked on main roads around Clunie Loch and Loch Tummel/Foss Road, and everyone who was asked to do so complied with the request. Some campers also moved from a field at our request.”
The latest incidents arose as Perth and Kinross Council agreed to introduce new measures to tackle dirty camping at Loch Clunie, where an estate worker was stabbed last month.
The local authority has made the A923, the main road passing the loch, a clearway, prohibiting any vehicles from parking by the road.
Steps will also be taken to prohibit parking on all the roads directly surrounding the loch with temporary signs erected in the coming weeks, with more permanent signage to be put in place in the months ahead.
Strathtay SNP councillor Grant Laing welcomed the new measures but warned it was not a “silver bullet” solution.
Mr Laing said: “I’m glad that council officers have been able to work with myself, John Swinney and local residents to take tangible action to address this issue.”
Deputy First Minister Mr Swinney MSP said: “Having engaged with this issue for a number of years, I am pleased to see a fresh impetus to tackle it at council level.”