Scottish beauty spots are already showing the cost of cuts

Last week, I was dog sitting for family, spending the week roaming the hills and country lanes with a four-legged friend.

The rain stayed off, the sun stayed out, we swerved all the broken glass and rubbish left by the roadside and on the hill paths, I had a good few podcasts to get through, it was a typical week in the South Ayrshire countryside.

Alas, you did not misread that. Every day was spent swerving broken bottles, cans and glass.

The epidemic of litter and fly-tipping in the country is a blight on our nation, and with councils tightening their belts, it is only going to get worse.

A picture from the Moors in Gourock

Over the weekend, my brother went a walk to the moors in Inverclyde. His messages to the family WhatsApp group ranged from “I can’t believe I have never been up here before” to “the rubbish up here is a disgrace”

His final message was informing us of the vet appointment he had to make due to the cuts on the paws of his dog.

And sadly, both South Ayrshire and Inverclyde are not alone in a pattern that is sadly becoming common-fold in our nation. You need to take one look around Glasgow just to see how much litter is an issue.

But as we continue to struggle amid the cost of living crisis, our beauty spots are vital. They serve as an escape, a free area of beauty that must be defended. How can we expect to attract tourists to areas when our beautiful countryside is much like our cities and spoiled by litter?

Charges for bulk collections, less frequency around rubbish collections, fines for incorrect recycling of products and a decrease in service will undoubtedly see rubbish begin to appear more often in out countryside. But councils must justify these increases and do more to protect areas that are of significant importance and beauty, not just for the environment, but for the locals that live there.

The issue of rubbish at Scottish beauty spots is not new. It has been an ongoing battle for decades, but sadly, with cuts across councils – it looks likely that there will only be one winner.