Fines for loch litterbugs
Campaign launched to crack down on campers leaving rubbish behind
A MAJOR campaign against littering and anti-social behaviour in one of Scotland’s most popular beauty spots is under way, with warnings of fines for those caught flouting rules.
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park has joined forces with Police Scotland to clamp down on those leaving behind rubbish at the attraction, which is a magnet to four million visitors every year.
As National Parks Week kicks off, the campaign will focus on litter and responsible camping and also includes messages about noise, safe fires, going to the toilet in the wild, fishing, and safe driving on the often busy roads of the Park.
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs has been the subject of repeatedly voiced concerns over littering, fly-tipping and wild camping in recent years, with abandoned tents, beer cans and human waste strewn around the shores of the loch by overnight campers.
Earlier this year, former environment minister Dr Aileen McLeod gave the go-ahead for new by-laws to establish a camping-free zone around almost all of the west side of Loch Lomond and other parts of the national park.
The Respect Your Park initiative, which also involves Forest Enterprise Scotland, will attempt to raise awareness of the impact of littering but comes with warnings that National Park Rangers can now give out fixed penalty notices of £80 for littering and £200 for fly-tipping
The team behind the campaign said findings published by Zero Waste Scotland show that over 250 million pieces of litter are cleared up each year and that one in five adults in Scotland admits to having littered in the last year. Yet the vast majority of Scots, 96 per cent, agree that littering is not acceptable.
Gordon Watson, chief executive of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, said: “It is wonderful that 50 per cent of Scotland’s population is just an hour’s drive from Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. With such easy access for so many people, it is important that everyone who comes here to knows how to do the right thing to help us take care of this special place.”
Environment minister Roseanna Cunningham said: “Dropping litter blights our communities and coastlines, tarnishes our beautiful landscapes and harms our wildlife and natural assets. Littering is simply unacceptable, and that is why our action to tackle it includes powers for the National Park Authority to issue £80 penalties to those who flout the law.
“It is easy to do the right thing and either put your litter in the bin or take it home with you if you are out and about enjoying the National Park.”