Tourism spots across the north are blighted with thrown away litter, it was claimed yesterday.
Councillor Allan Henderson of Highland Council claimed that discarded waste and fly tipping over the winter has led to the north’s most iconic tourist sites looking like a rubbish “tip”.
He said iconic spots such as Loch Ness were left looking so uncared for that people needed to take notice – or risk damaging the reputation of Scotland.
Councillor Henderson has used a Spring campaign by Keep Scotland Beautiful to highlight his concerns about the waste being discarded in the north, and particularly on the A82 at Loch Ness.
He said: “It is as if some people have an irresistible urge to muck up the countryside.
“There are more and more volunteers helping councils keep the place tidy, especially close to urban areas, but the garbage keeps appearing at the side of the main routes.
“I hear the argument that there are not enough bins, but that is difficult to accept when, for example, a length of road from Fort Augustus to Inverness, on Loch Ness side, which was fortunate to get about 40 bins through a Zero Waste Scotland initiative, is still a tip, with waste littering the road all the way, except the villages of Invermorriston and Drumnadrochit.”
Rubbish crusader, Brian Watts who spends his free time picking up waste on Loch Ness said: “I get out when I can and pick up rubbish to make the place look better. I am not part of a group – but I realise that there is a problem and it needs to be fixed.
“No-one else has the time to do it, and I have.
“It is a disgrace to see the way people throw things away.”
Mr Watts said the top items he picked up were hot drink cups, crisp packets, burger wrappers and high energy drinks cans.
Anyone interested in finding out more on how they can organise and join a local clean up event should visit www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/springclean19