A Moray pensioner has been left crestfallen after being forced to dismantle a colourful outdoor display which took him 18 months to assemble.
Charley Whyte’s collection of unwanted household objects – which he affixed to a wall at the old railway line near Lossiemouth’s East Beach – became an unlikely tourist attraction.
The retired plumber was proud of the fact that people travelled to the spot, situated between Gregory Place and Macduff Street, from all across Moray to take photographs.
However, some residents who lived nearby felt the exhibit was garish, and complained about it.
A deflated Mr Whyte gave in to their demands at the weekend, and spent days begrudgingly removing the objects.
Yesterday, he said: “I got some abuse about it, one lady found it very offensive and told me so in no uncertain terms.
“She was the only person who complained directly to me, but she insisted other people felt the same way about it.
“I said that if people wanted it down, then I would take it down.
“It is a shame, because I thoroughly enjoyed doing it.”
Mr Whyte first placed a chair at the lane to afford himself a quiet spot to rest and enjoy a cigarette while he was out walking.
Following that, he decided the area “could do with a bit of colour” and set to work on brightening it up.
He began the process by surrounding the chair with plastic flowers, toy animals and a union flag.
The pensioner then assembled an unorthodox assortment of items stretching more than 10ft along the path – including toilet seats, dolls, frisbees, plastic spades, cycling helmets, musical instruments and gardening tools.
The 76-year-old spent 18 months enhancing the display, and well-wishers, eager to help with the initiative, donated their own unwanted objects to help out.
It took Mr Whyte almost five hours, spread across three days, to remove the eclectic items he had carefully screwed into the wall.
He left only a sweeping brush and a pinwheel at the site, as a reminder of what was once there.
Mr Whyte added: “I’ll have to find something else to do now to keep myself occupied.”
