A wild swimmer has complained that Glencorse reservoir was inundated with litter and at times, human waste, as facilities struggle to cope with visitors over the May bank holiday.
Bill Taylor, who has been a fishery proprietor at the site for over a decade, has said that the problem has become worse since the pandemic.
READ MORE - Edinburgh parents told kids with 'wrong surnames' barred from after school club
On one occasion he found a used sanitary towel in the entrance of the angler hub doorway and has been forced to clean up other people's muck from around the barrier to the angling site.
He says that more bins have to be introduced to the area as the foot of the reservoir, by the Flotterstone Inn and nearby Café, are overwhelmed by the rubbish they are forced to process.
As someone with a stake in the local community and maintaining its natural beauty, he has called on the Midlothian Council to do more.
But Midlothian council have claimed that they can only facilitate waste infrastructure by the Flotterstone Inn and that private pathways and roads at the reservoir are privately owned.
On the problem, Bill said: “The problem has been ongoing for some time but has snowballed since the pandemic.
“We are seeing an increase in all sorts of litter and need more bins in place either at the Flotterstone Inn or the local café as they are struggling to process it all.
“The issue does not lie with them but with inconsiderate visitors to Glencorse.
“Their mess is going to end up attracting vermin.
“They need more support to deal with the problem.
“I think we also need bins up by Glencorse as the area has been covered in empty cans, coffee cups, food wrappers or dog waste in bags that people just throw into the reservoir or on the walkways.
“It is like people do not realise that the reservoir is used for our drinking water.
“We have a small black bin at the back for anglers but some people are jumping the wall and filling that or just dumping their stuff in our barrier.
“On one occasion we had a female sanitary towel left in our entrance.
“Now look I know anyone can get caught short. It happens to us all but you have to clean up after yourself. I’ve found human waste around the place myself.
“We had a portaloo for the anglers that pay to use our services but this has to be chained up because members of the public were standing on the toilets and spreading their mess all over the portaloo.
“On other occasions folk have blocked it with toilet paper.
“The problem is made worse when the public toilets are shut on busy weekends like the bank holiday just passed there.
“The council really has to do more to ensure that they clean up after themselves as it falls on other people to clean up their mess.
“By far the worst problem is dog walkers abandoning bags filled with poo. You’d almost be better just leaving the dog muck to disintegrate than dumping it around Glencorse.
“This is the worst I have seen in my eleven years up here. Something has to be done.”
Bill was joined in his condemnation by local wild swimmer Lee Simpson, 51, who said that he had not seen the litter problem as bad as it was over the May bank holiday.
Lee said: “We are blessed in Scotland to benefit from the Outdoor Access Code but that comes with responsibilities.
“One of them being to ‘take your litter away with you.’
“It is the countryside so folk can’t expect waste bins to be placed everywhere for them.
“I swim everyday outside either at Gladhouse or Glencorse but I have never seen the litter issue near the reservoir like that before.”
A spokesperson for Midlothian council said: “Midlothian Council has responsibility for the car park at Flotterstone and the public toilets there are now open seven days a week.
“The council is not responsible for installing or the upkeep of any litter bins at the reservoir as the roads around the reservoir are private.
“However, we do remind people to follow guidance from the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and take litter home with them.”
