Barrier erected at links in Cromarty following anti-social behaviour and public defecation from some campers and campervan visitors
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OUTRAGED Cromarty residents have cried foul over a selfish minority of campervan visitors who defecated on the links area of the scenic seaside village.
According to Cromarty and District Community Council, Highland Council planning officers have been left with little choice but to erect a barrier to stop overnight parking in the area.
This comes after “many complaints from local residents and correspondence with the planning department”.
Previously, caravans and campers had access to the park area on the edge of the waterfront despite it not being an official site, with locals welcoming the influx of visitors.
However, in recent months there has been notable decline in behaviour, from rowdy groups to those who emptied their waste from campers and caravans onto the beach – as well as those who went so far as to defecate.
Residents were additionally angered by the loss of amenity – the area is popular with families and dog walkers – when there were too many campervans.
Despite a sign being put up at the entrance to the links to encourage responsible behaviour, when a member of the community council tried to get those parked there to do so more thoughtfully she was verbally abused.
Eventually, locals decided enough was enough and approached the council to take action with the result that the area will be lost for use due to the actions of a “minority”.
Secretary of the local community council, Diane Brawn, said: “There have been ongoing specific issues in recent months and some go back years.
“Some campervans are fine but it is not an official site and in the last few months people have actually been defecating in the long grass – that has been seen.
“Also some groups were quite rowdy late at night so residents abutting the links were suffering from noise pollution and waste was being emptied on the shoreline.
“So eventually they went to Highland Council to ask them to take action and so we’ve got to close the links. A small minority has spoiled it for the majority.”
However, there is light at the end of the tunnel because it is understood the Cromarty development trust are “a good way down the road to setting up a community campsite” which is expected to be “a positive step in the future”.
Local MSP Kate Forbes hit out at those visitors who were antisocial, adding: “There is absolutely no place for this kind of behaviour, least of all when there are public toilets less than a five-minute walk from the links.”
