Visitors to Scotland’s reservoirs are being told to clean up their act after campfires were abandoned, trees hacked down, rubbish dumped and even human waste left beside the water.

Scottish Water issued the warning on Friday 14 August following a series of incidents at reservoirs and surrounding land across the country.

Recent problems have been reported at Loch of Lintrathen and Backwater reservoirs, Gladhouse, Milngavie, Cocksburn, Carron Valley, North Third, Kilpatrick Hills and Megget.

Some visitors have abandoned campfires while they were still burning dangerously close to woodland, creating an obvious risk during periods of dry weather.

Trees and other vegetation have also been cut down for firewood.

Food packaging, barbecues, camping equipment and even chairs have been abandoned across reservoir sites, while human waste has been left along shorelines.

Inconsiderate parking on nearby roads and verges is creating further problems for communities around some of the popular locations.

Scottish Water operates around 300 reservoirs, with the paths, woodland and shorelines surrounding them attracting tens of thousands of visitors every year.

Visitor numbers have increased at many sites, but the publicly owned utility has just four rangers patrolling a small number of reservoirs.

Scottish Water Land Strategy Team Leader Donna Mills said:

“We are urging those people who have behaved in an anti-social way at any of our reservoirs to think about their actions and the impact they are having on the environment and local residents and to stop this behaviour immediately.

“We want everyone to be able to enjoy the amenities around the reservoirs and to do so in a responsible way.

“Nobody wants to encounter other people’s waste and nobody wants to see fires left unattended or not properly extinguished, with the obvious risk of fire spreading especially during dry weather.

“Scottish Water has a small team of reservoir rangers who patrol the reservoirs to help visitors enjoy them and protect the natural habitat and they urge the public to take away all their belongings and litter and leave no trace of their visit.

“But our rangers can’t be everywhere all the time and we really need visitors to hear our call and think carefully about their behaviour and how it impacts the environment and other people.”

Damage to the environment can breach the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, which sets out the responsibilities accompanying Scotland’s access rights.

Its central principles include respecting other people, caring for the environment and taking responsibility for your own actions.

Scotland’s reservoirs offer some beautiful places to walk, explore and spend time outdoors, but access comes with a simple responsibility.

Whatever you take with you should leave with you, and the landscape should look as though you were never there.