Council denies car park closed at nights due to dogging

West Lothian council has denied a decision to close the Hill Top viewpoint carpark in Bathgate at night is related to dogging.

In a tweet on Monday, the council announced the car park, which is uphill from the Vu on the road from Ballencrieff Toll into the Bathgate Hills, will be closed from 4pm until 9am over the winter months to prevent anti-social behaviour.

The small car park is understood to be a dogging spot and is listed by swingers on dogging websites, as a location for people who meet to have sex outdoors.

But the council said it was not aware the scenic viewpoint was used for outdoor romps and could neither “confirm nor deny” that people were meeting to have sex there at nights.

The authority claims the move to shut the car park during the winter months is a bid to tackle littering, fire setting and noise disruption caused by groups of young people.

A spokesperson for West Lothian Council said: "Dogging is certainly not something that we are aware of at the car park.

“We have been contacted by several locals expressing concerns, including about litter left lying around, bins being set on fire and groups of youths generally be loud and disruptive. Our rangers have also told us that there are kennels nearby and the noise could be distressing to the animals.

“By closing it at nights we hope to put a stop to anti-social behaviour. It means people can still enjoy the viewpoint during the day.”