Inquiries ongoing to trace fly-tippers who dumped 300 tyres in Loch Ness
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Inquiries are ongoing to identify those responsible for dumping more than 300 tyres from the side of the A82 into Loch Ness.
The incident, which happened last month below a popular layby near Drumnadrochit, prompted public anger and has also been described as "reckless" by a senior Highland councillor.
The investigation is being led by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and anyone with information is urged to contact them.
The incident was reported to Highland Council on Monday January 29 and is believed to have happened sometime over the weekend between January 27 and 28.
Ness District Salmon Fishery Board and salmon farming company, Mowi, volunteered to take part in a joint operation to remove all the tyres from the loch.
Mowi staff worked alongside council operatives over a three-day period, the process being slow due to the weather and the location of the tyres, some of which were halfway up the banks of the loch.
Mowi was able to re-use 100 of the tyres as part of its operations, leaving the council to dispose of about 200.
Chairman of the council’s communities and place committee, Councillor Graham Mackenzie, said: "The council is extremely grateful for the support which ensured this horrendous incidence of fly-tipping was dealt with quickly.
"The location of the tyres made recovery problematic but was made possible thanks to some fantastic collaborative work between our staff, staff from Mowi, and members of the Ness Salmon Fishery Board."
He added: "It is very disappointing these tyres were recklessly disposed of in this manner without a thought for the environmental impact on one of Scotland’s most beautiful and popular tourist locations.
"Highland Council is already facing a significant budget gap and mindless acts like this only add to those financial pressures.
"Money spent on dealing with incidents like this only drain valuable resources needed to protect essential public services."
Paul Griffiths, unit manager at SEPA, said waste crime had a serious and detrimental impact on the environment, communities and compliant businesses.
"Tyres in particular have the potential to release hazardous substances if set on fire and are a blight on the landscape if not treated, recycled or disposed of properly," he said.
Mr Griffiths continued: "A lack of evidence often makes catching the culprits extremely difficult, and the first line of defence is stopping criminals getting their hands on waste in the first place.
"A legitimate operator should be able to tell you their SEPA waste carrier licence number and the exact location your waste will be taken to.
"If they won’t provide those two pieces of information, don’t give them your waste.
"Our investigation into this incident at Loch Ness remains ongoing and we strongly urge anyone with information about who might be responsible to come forward."
Peter Walker, Mowi farm manager at Loch Ness, said they were "a bit shocked" after starting to tackle the pile of tyres and realised they were looking at over 300.
"After many people working many hours and several boat trips later, we were able to retrieve all tyres for safe disposal or recycle, including another pile further down the loch," he said.
"We hope whoever is responsible for this is caught and it never happens again."
Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of waste. People can report litter using the report form at www.highland.gov.uk/report.
The council can issue fines between £200 and £20,000, or the offender can receive six months in prison (up to five years if hazardous waste is dumped).
The council urges anyone who witnesses fly-tipping to report culprits to Police on 101 or phone Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
