Scottish Water has issued an appeal for visitors to act more responsibly at some of Stirling’s reservoirs following a pattern of anti-social behaviour. The publicly-owned utility reported incidents including littering, fires left unattended, trees cut down, and human waste discarded on adjacent land.
Incidents at popular reservoirs
Among the locations reporting issues are Cocksburn Reservoir near Bridge of Allan, North Third Reservoir at Cambusbarron, and Carron Valley near Denny. Scottish Water rangers have also reported visitors parking inconsiderately on nearby roads and verges, causing access and safety concerns.
The appeal follows reports of several incidents at hotspots across the country. The utility said its team of four rangers who patrol a small number of reservoirs, as well as local people and authorities, are becoming increasingly frustrated at the behaviour of a small minority of visitors who are spoiling the beauty of the amenities for others.
Growing visitor numbers
The paths, woodland and shorelines around Scotland’s reservoirs attract tens of thousands of visitors every year, and visitor numbers have increased at many of the 300 operated by Scottish Water.
Donna Mills, Scottish Water’s Land Strategy Team Leader, said: “We are urging those people who have behaved in an anti-social way at any of our reservoirs to think about their actions and the impact they are having on the environment and local residents and to stop this behaviour immediately.
“We want everyone to be able to enjoy the amenities around the reservoirs and to do so in a responsible way.
“Nobody wants to encounter other people’s waste and nobody wants to see fires left unattended or not properly extinguished, with the obvious risk of fire spreading especially during dry weather.
“Scottish Water has a small team of reservoir rangers who patrol the reservoirs to help visitors enjoy them and protect the natural habitat and they urge the public to take away all their belongings and litter and leave no trace of their visit.
“But our rangers can’t be everywhere all the time and we really need visitors to hear our call and think carefully about their behaviour and how it impacts the environment and other people.”
Breach of access code
The utility also stressed that damage to the environment is in breach of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, developed by Scottish Natural Heritage – now NatureScot, which offers guidance on the rights and responsibilities of the public and land managers such as Scottish Water.
