Outraged Highland residents have hit out after a vlogger caused chaos by impersonating a lollipop man during an NC500 road trip.
Dean Alex, who has more than 10,000 subscribers on YouTube and 515,000 followers on TikTok, shared a video titled “Stopping traffic on the NC500” on Thursday.
He and his friends David Crossley and Hunter, from the Essex area, rented a motorhome for the journey.
Together they filmed themselves engaging in a range of dangerous stunts, including jumping into the moving vehicle and driving without a seatbelt.
Police have been made aware of their actions and have said their inquiries are at an early stage.
Vlogger stops around 10 vehicles during ‘mission’ on NC500
When the trio stopped in Helmsdale, they came across a shed with a lollipop stick and jacket – used by the lollipop person outside Helmsdale Primary School.
David, a fellow YouTube vlogger, egged Dean on to don the uniform and stop traffic on the A9 as it passed through the village while he recorded “the mission”.
One local woman who challenged the group was targeted with sexual comments and mocked.
In the video, Dean can be seen stopping a lorry with the lollipop sign while pretending to talk to someone through an earpiece.
“I don’t know how long I’m supposed to stop it for,” he told viewers.
“David basically said hold up the traffic for as long as I could.
“At the minute, I think we’re up to a minute holding up this wagon and I know there’s a lot of stuff behind there but I have to keep pretending I have an earpiece.”
Dean later pans the camera along a queue of about eight cars who had all been stuck on the road.
When he got back in the motorhome, the YouTuber says: “I stopped them for ages, didn’t I?”
And a delighted Hunter replies: “The queue of traffic was insane.”
Locals ‘upset’ by lollipop impersonation on NC500
Afterwards, the trio were confronted by one local woman who told them what they were doing “wasn’t cool”.
The vloggers replied saying there had been a “sheep on the road”.
Dean said: “We thought there was a sheep on the road down there so we just didn’t want anyone to get hit.”
The woman replied: “There was a sheep on the road, when there’s no sheep about here?”
When the woman walked away, unamused by their excuse, the vloggers made sexually derogatory comments and mocked her.
Dean told The Press and Journal: “We traveled all around Scotland and it was absolutely beautiful.
“The scenery was breathtaking and the local people were amazing.
“While driving our campervan, we had a close call when a sheep almost ran into the road.
“Along the way, we came across a lollipop booth, which we assumed was left unlocked and open to the public because of the sheep nearby.
“Of course, we couldn’t resist having some fun—I’ve never been a lollipop man before, so we dressed up and had a laugh.
“The boys found it hilarious, but at the end of the day, we just didn’t want anyone—or the poor sheep—getting hurt!”
NC500 the dirty truth admin ‘totally disgusted’ by lollipop man video
The video, which has almost 5,000 views, has also been shared on social media where people have expressed their disapproval of the antics.
NC500 the dirty truth admin Robin Pettigrew said he was ‘totally disgusted’ when he came across the footage.
Speaking to the Press and Journal, Robin, who lives in Lochcarron in Wester Ross, said: “They just disrespect our communities.
“There’s a wave of these vloggers coming up and trying to earn money doing road trips and giving advice.
“These men have a series of videos with several levels of misbehaviour and illegality.
“Jumping in and out of moving cars, dumping chemical waste, starting fires in lay-bys, driving erratically with people not wearing seatbelts and more.”
Robin previously spoke to the Press and Journal about the biggest issues locals have with the NC500.
A police spokesperson said: “On Friday, March 28, we were made aware of videos circulating and concerns raised regarding the actions and manner of driving of a vehicle in the Strathcarron area.
“Inquiries are at an early stage.”
Read more from the NC500
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- NC500 has driven regulars and weddings away says Applecross inn owner
- Kinlochbervie resident calls for North Coast 500 to be ‘wound down’, claiming road trip ‘has been a disaster’ for Highland communities
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