Clean up volunteers find disgusting mess in Loch Lomond Lay-bys

On Thursday 25^th September, 12 “Make a Difference Day” volunteers from Edrington, AECOM, Scottish Water and the Friends themselves turned out to help clean up laybys along the A82 next to Loch Lomond. A big thank you to The Lomond Arms Hotel for providing a delicious lunch for the volunteers on the day.

Organised by The Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs, which helps to look after the special qualities of the National Park area, the event was the charity’s third “MAD” day this year with another two to follow.

Lloyd Weir, the Friend’s Project Officer, said,

“For obvious reasons, the busy and beautiful A82 corridor along the shores of Loch Lomond has always been a priority for us and while the bins we maintain in some of the laybys closer to the loch are quite effective in managing litter, such is the pressure of numbers and the irresponsibility of some people, it is a constant battle helping to keep these areas looking their best.

It was noticeable that the laybys to the north of Arnburn, where we have bins, were much less polluted than those to the south, where there are none. The three laybys near Arden are in a disgusting state with decades of stinking rubbish including abundant evidence of toileting having built up within a few metres of the roadside. Despite years of asking, neither the National Park nor Argyll and Bute Council say they will help our efforts in any meaningful way, although in fairness we have recently received a small award from the Argyl and Bute Supporting Communities Fund which we are grateful for. With local business sponsorship and donations meeting an annual servicing cost exceeding £20,000, over 20tonnes of rubbish passes through the bins each year. It is clear more are needed. A massive thanks to all of the businesses who continue support our Bonnie Banks Bin Scheme.

As we have repeatedly pointed out, there is also a crying need for some kind of Aire type facility suitable for large heavy lorries so their drivers can pull off, park safely and access toilet facilities. As it is, the A82’s Loch Lomond laybys must constitute the longest and most disgusting open air toilet in the country. The National Park has just spent around £2million upgrading facilities at Tarbet, yet not one extra toilet was added to the meagre facilities there.

An Aire facility between Tarbet and Arrochar is part of our “High Road” vision for a truly comprehensive upgrade of the A82, but sadly the Scottish Government has recently discontinued our Parliamentary Petition on this matter.

No one at any level of government seems to be listening or seems to care.”