Campers leave piles of rubbish at Dumfries and Galloway beauty spot over Bank Holiday weekend
Campers left piles of rubbish on the banks of Loch Ken over the Bank Holiday weekend.
And locals have blamed the council for contributing to the problem by removing bins from laybys.
Three bins were recently taken away after councillors agreed to remove layby bins across the region as part of a cost cutting measure.
But after the good weather and May Day bank holiday led to an influx of campers in the Glenkens, local resident Robin Hood and Loch Ken Trust have blasted the move.
Mr Hood, who lives beside the loch between Mossdale and New Galloway, said: 'I've lived here 38 years and I'd never seen it so untidy.
'Along Loch Ken there were three bins and now there's none.
'There were 50 people camping on the west bank of Loch Ken over the weekend – when I looked out on Saturday morning it was like Blackpool beach.
'As I was walking down, I saw the rubbish and wondered where the bins had gone. I rang someone in New Galloway and he said they'd been taken away.
'I've cleaned it up because it'll encourage rats – a few years ago I had rats around and they got into my car and ate all the wiring.
'It needs a couple of empty dustbins to put it all in – but if I put it in my bin I won't be able to get my household waste in.'
A spokesperson for the trust's board – who have also expressed concern about wildfires when a warning is in place – said: 'The Loch Ken Trust are concerned by Dumfries and Galloway Council's decision to remove all litter bins from the laybys surrounding Loch Ken.
'We are a charity set up to look after Loch Ken and the surrounding areas and support our communities.
'We already see a high level of littering around the loch and are concerned about the negative impact the removal of the bins will have on the surrounding environment, particularly as a lack of bins appears to encourage people to leave their litter behind, rather than take it with them or dispose of it safely.'
Both the budget proposals from the SNP – which was voted through with backing from Labour councillors – and the Tories included plans to remove bins from laybys outwith 30mph zones, a move it is claimed will save £42,000 a year.
However, Mr Hood said: 'They've cut some expenditure and cut all the waste bins – how about the people that live here?
'If we have the Galloway National Park its going to get worse.
'There used to be a bin at the top end of the water and there was that much rubbish people left bags beside it. The binmen were absolutely brilliant, they loaded it all in the bin.
'It's not an easy run this and they always go out of their way. I'm not criticising them, they always do a great job.
'It's the people who have decided to get rid of the public waste bins. It's absolute madness.
'If you leave all that rubbish there, the red kites will be scavenging amongst the waste.
'It's no good for the wildlife and it's no good for the area.'
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