Beauty spot’s a dump? Call the Fly Tip Clan!
IT is an engineering marvel set amid stunning Highlands scenery.
But even the Culloden Viaduct, near Inverness, is not immune from the scourge of litter blighting the Scottish countryside.
Although restrictions on camping are in place until next Wednesday, dozens of people flouting the rules have left the area an unsightly mess.
The huge build-up of waste during lockdown spurred Emma Mitchell, from Inverness, to create the Fly Tip Clan group.
The 36-year-old, who runs her own gardening business, is also calling on Highland Council to support litter-picking groups and to reopen recycling centres to more people.
She said: ‘I’m a gardener and an outdoor pursuits enthusiast and I want people to respect the beauty spots they visit, instead of leaving dangerous glass or substances in the wild.’
She added: ‘We are using the Fly Tip Clan group page to start sharing areas that need doing or that we’ve tackled.
‘We have had members joining after hearing the story and offering to help clean up.’
Some of the shocking images taken by Mrs Mitchell and her team, including volunteer Andrew McKenzie, show shattered glass bottles, abandoned gazebos and tents, cans and camping chairs.
She said: ‘We will keep campaigning for better recycling facilities, more public awareness, more improvements for tradespeople or people like myself who only have a van to drive in…
‘We want to encourage the community to clean up, not put them off.’
She said that some people had been turned away from a recycling depot, but now help was being offered.
‘The man at the depot was very helpful with us today,’ she added.
‘He has given us plastic bags, bin liners and his phone number to call him to pick up rubbish we clean up at beauty spots.’
A spokesman for Highland Council said: ‘There is a current restriction on vans and trailers using our recycling centres [under a Highland-wide phased reopening]. The group made contact with the Highland Council following a problem accessing the centre.
‘They were invited to drop off waste within the Inverness depot.
‘This happened this morning. They were also provided with a supply of free black bags to support any future volunteer clear-up.
‘A further offer was made by the council to provide litter-picker sticks and, for convenience, uplift any collected waste from the area the clear-up was being carried out in.’
With litter problems being seen across Britain, the Lake District National Park Authority in Cumbria has called for everyone to sign up to the Great British September Clean to make the area beautiful once again.
The authority is encouraging those who live in the area to sign up to the nationwide litter-pick campaign, organised by Keep Britain Tidy and backed by the Daily Mail, from September 11 to September 27.
It was originally planned for March, as the Great British Spring Clean, but had to be postponed because of the Covid-19 outbreak.
‘We will keep campaigning’