Disgusting rubbish including faeces dumped by campers in Pentland Hills slammed as 'selfish' and 'thoughtless'

Rubbish left behind by campers in the Pentland Hills (Photo: Pentland Hills Regional Park)

Images showed damaged tents, cans and plastic bottles, and the remains of a fire left strewn across a section of land on the Pentland Hills.

On the Pentland Hills Regional Park Facebook page, park rangers posted the pictures and described the scenes as "disgusting" and "unhygienic".

They said: "This is not wild camping. Sadly, this sight is becoming all too familiar to us in the Regional Park. Abandoned campsites with food, cans, bottles, BBQs, tents, chairs, fire debris, human poo…(often everything but the kitchen sink!) left strewn across our beautiful countryside.

"This is not only unsightly it is often very disgusting and unhygienic for the people who are left to clean it up. This is not wild camping. This is not ‘Leave No Trace’.

"The Pentland Hills are not suitable for party or festival style camping, it is a wild area where landowners make a living from the land. Please respect this and follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code whilst wild camping and always leave no trace."

This was echoed by City of Edinburgh transport and environment vice convener Karen Doran, who slammed the campers as "selfish"

She said: “This kind of selfish, thoughtless treatment of our beautiful countryside is completely unacceptable. As we do with all parks and green spaces, we urge the public to help us to maintain a welcoming, litter-free environment at the Pentland Hills Regional Park and this is quite the opposite.

“Wild camping in the Pentland Hills can be enjoyed responsibly but campers must take account of the diverse wildlife, people who make a living from the land and the many other visitors to the park by leaving no trace and following the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.”

Social media users also criticised the campers who had left behind the rubbish.

One said: "I'll never understand this. Surely by deciding to head out the hills and camp, they’re showing some kind of appreciation for the beauty of the place, but then they behave like this. Very sad."

Another added: "It is disgusting and it's a sight I see all the time. As an outdoor swimmer I swim at gorgeous locations across Scotland and I am disgusted by what I see.

"Fires have been made on grass areas even although there are stone areas right next to them and cans, bottles; baby wipes, nappies and lots of other things left lying for other people to clean up behind them.

"You would think people would have more respect for our gorgeous countryside but apparently not."