Perthshire councillor fills 100 bags as roadside rubbish runs to kitchen sink

A Perthshire councillor says he’s filled more than 100 bags with litter that’s been dumped by the side of the road in his ward this year.

And Almond and Earn councillor Frank Smith says he has found everything from a mattress to the proverbial kitchen sink.

One of the worst blackspots for rubbish is a layby on the approach to Lochty on the way to Perth.

Conservative Mr Smith says the bin there is frequently overflowing, with bags of junk piled up alongside.

And he says fly-tipping is also a hazard.

“I have also noticed discarded household items such as a mattress, sink, sideboard,” he said.

“This is evidently irresponsible behaviour from those people not prepared to make a short journey to the recycle facility.”

Perthshire rangers on litter patrol

Mr Smith hit out after Perth and Kinross rangers revealed they have filled almost 600 bags with litter dumped at Perthshire beauty spots since the start of June.

More than 100 bags were collected last weekend alone.

Perth and Kinross Council is urging visitors to take their rubbish home or face a £500 fine if they’re caught.

It is sorting through the rubbish for recycling and searching for evidence that might link it to litter louts.

A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said: “If we find evidence of who the litter belongs to, £500 fixed penalty notices will be issued.”

Council acting on rubbish

Council leader Councillor Grant Laing said: “Perth and Kinross is a wonderful place to visit and we welcome thousands of tourists from home and abroad each year.

“The vast majority of those behave responsibly. And our visitor rangers do a fantastic job of engaging with those in rural areas.

“It is extremely disappointing when people leave their rubbish behind and we will be issuing those responsible fixed penalty notices where possible.”

Perth and Kinross Council announced it was clamping down on fly-tipping earlier this year.

Mobile cameras are being installed at fly-tipping hotspots.

And the authority is pledging to fully investigate every complaint it receives

It comes after funding of £90,000 a year was set aside in last year’s Perth and Kinross Council budget to help tackle the problem.