Perthshire residents are facing up to the ugly side of living in one of the region’s most beautiful corners.
The recent warm spell has brought visitors flocking to places like Loch of Clunie, near Blairgowrie.
And for locals that’s meant an upsurge in the issues that hit headlines during the Covid pandemic.
Neighbours have been plagued by fires, noisy parties, smashed glass, littering, dangerous parking and unauthorised campsites.
And they’re concerned that a shake-up in Perth and Kinross Council’s visitor ranger service will see problems worsen.
Some residents told a recent public meeting they are frightened to go outside at busy times.
They reported trespassers, large groups of intimidating drunks, thefts, assaults and even people defecating in their gardens.
And in one five-week period, litter pickers collected 354 bags of rubbish.
Janice Willsher of the Loch of Clunie Preservation Group says people are down but not out.
“People are pretty fed up, to be honest,” she told The Courier.
“But most visitors aren’t coming here to cause problems. It’s the minority who are ruining it for everyone else.”
Loch of Clunie protectors formed out of dark time during pandemic
The Loch of Clunie Preservation Group grew out of a public meeting in June 2020.
It was called as fears of crime and antisocial behaviour reached boiling point.
An estate worker had been stabbed the month before and John Swinney had been urged to intervene.
In the five years since, the small steering group has become a registered charity.
Working with visitor rangers and others, it has overseen a range of measures, including portable toilets, bins, clearway signs and notices urging visitors to be respectful.
It also secured funding for an educational sign extolling the loch’s many charms, including its status as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Council bosses have assured locals they are not on their own.
They say the activities formerly carried out by the seasonal visitor rangers will continue.
Some visitor rangers are staying on.
But the work will now be led by the council’s Community Support and Enforcement Service, with the support of agencies like the police and fire service.
Locals and visitors working hard to keep peace
Janice says residents are determined to be positive about the new regime.
But they’re not just sitting back and hoping for the best.
The Loch of Clunie Preservation Group is coordinating an impressive community effort as it works with authorities to protect the place that members hold dear.
Residents and regular visitors, including wild swimmers and canoeists, are getting stuck in with activities such as litter-picking.
Volunteers are doing their own patrols to detect dangers such as discarded barbecues, fishing lines and camping equipment.
A busy WhatsApp chat means all issues are logged and passed on to the relevant authorities.
And the group is looking into the option of byelaws to combat problems caused by alcohol and fires.
Residents are also continuing to welcome visitors, the vast majority of whom are decent and respect the loch and its surroundings as much as they do.
One, Theresa Crichton, told The Courier: “It’s about appealing to people’s better natures.
“It’s not that we don’t want people to come,” she said.
“We just need to deal with the ones who abuse it and spoil it for everyone else.”
Conversation