Moray villagers have condemned “irresponsible” campers for setting fires and dumping rubbish at a peaceful nature reserve.
Members of the Findhorn Village Conservation Company (FVCC) have raised concerns about the behaviour of visitors to the area.
They had erected a “no camping, no tents” sign near the entrance of the West Beach car park urging campers to stay away, but it was destroyed and removed within 48 hours.
On one occasion recently, firefighters were called to put out a blaze at the reserve.
Last night, FVCC chairman Frank Allan said that, like all the popular tourist spots across Scotland, they are struggling to find the right balance between welcoming tourists and protecting the environment.
Mr Allan said: “We have faced major problems.
“We are really concerned because people were putting their tents up and showing irresponsible behaviour by lighting fires using some of our fences for firewood.
“We thought we had to try to do something about it, as there was a great concern about fires on the nature reserve.
“We own the land so we put up this sign, and we suffered foul abuse from some people which was not acceptable.
“Somebody reported a smouldering fire, which the fire brigade had to come down to Findhorn to deal with, which is total irresponsible behaviour.
“The next morning the sign was completely dug out and we don’t know where it is now.”
The group is still waiting for planning permission to allow its overnight car park to be used by up to 21 motorhomes at a time for a maximum of 36 hours.
Mr Allan added: “We are still waiting for this planning decision to take place.
“Next year it will be more easy for us if Moray Council give the green light to the application.
“It is crucial to be able to find a balance between the environment and visitors as wild camping and the dangers of fire are really worrying.”
Since summer 2018, an honesty box system has been in place which generates more than £1,000 every year for the group to make improvements to Findhorn.
