Teams converge on the Lade as part of £50,000 clean-up

Residents had branded the litter-strewn site a disgrace

Cleaning crews have tackled a notorious dumping site on the edge of Perth city centre.

Residents said the historic Lade, a popular walkway which dates back to medieval times, was in desperate need of an overhaul after becoming overgrown and strewn with rubbish.

Perth and Kinross Council set aside £50,000 to clear up the route as part of this year’s budget.

This week, members of the council’s Community Greenspace team and volunteers from Beautiful Perth teamed up to tackle the mess, filling scores of bin bags with old bottles, cans, fast food wrappers and discarded clothing.

The team was joined by staff from construction firm Balfour Beatty.

Residents living near the Lade branded it a “disgrace” and said they had never seen it so overgrown.

There have also been calls to promote the historic path as a safe cycling route to the city centre.

The Greenspace team has been working with community volunteers on ways of improving the Lade and making it more of an asset.

Voluntary groups have also been discussing how best to use the £50,000 council contribution.

A local authority spokeswoman said: “We carry out regular litter clearance in and around the Lade, including the removal of large items such as shopping trolleys when these arise.

“Vegetation on the banks is left to flourish and encourage biodiversity in this wildlife corridor in the centre of Perth.”

She added: “It is unfortunate that individuals choose to dump waste in the watercourse, which only serves to spoil the environment for everyone.”

The Lade, believed to be Scotland’s oldest canal, was once used as a defensive moat and was most likely built in the 12th Century.

It stretches for about four miles from Almondbank to the River Tay.

Improving access to the Lade and encouraging more visitors is one of the aims of the Perth City Plan, a masterplan for the area for the next five years.

Keep Scotland Beautiful has called for a “zero tolerance attitude” to litter and fly-tipping to keep places such as the Perth Lade clean and safe for locals and visitors to enjoy.

Vegetation on the banks is left to flourish and encourage biodiversity in this wildlife corridor in the centre of Perth. COUNCIL SPOKESWOMAN

Picture: Steve MacDougall. From left: John Summers, chairman of Beautiful Perth, Kirsty Scott, Community Greenspace partnership officer, Roland Dent, Balfour Beatty civil engineer, and Councillor Andrew Parrott.