A clean up has been carried out on Loch Lomond after concerns were raised over apparent plastic contamination after a period of unsettled weather over the festive period.
Balloch and Haldane Community Council says that it received numerous complaints of debris swept out on to the loch near to Cameron House.
The community council claimed neither the luxury hotel nor Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park (LLTNP) have taken responsibility for clearing up the mess following the spell of unsettled weather.
However, national park bosses say they have already helped remove 31 bags from the area after the storm – including polystyrene blocks – and that they are “committed to maintaining the loch’s environment”.
Cameron House said that “protecting our natural surroundings is a top priority”.
Community council chairwoman Lynne Somerville says that she has received multiple complaints over the mess.
Photos of the loch at Cameron House, taken last week, appear to show polystyrene debris left floating on both shores of the loch, as well as discarded yachts and jet skis, likely disturbed by the blustery conditions.
Ms Somerville says that concerned residents have raised fears that neither Cameron House or the LLTNP have “taken responsibility for clearing up the mess”.
The community council has now written to bosses at both Cameron House and LLTNP to raise their concerns and a report has also been submitted to the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA).
In their letter, the community council said: “There is polystyrene debris being left floating on both shores of the loch along with the yacht beached on the park shore, yet nothing has been done regardless of you both of your organisations having staff working.
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“The matter of plastics being left to be washed away is unacceptable and should be dealt with as a matter of priority.”
A spokesperson for environmental watchdog Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) said: “SEPA received a report on 31 December 2024 regarding polystyrene being washed ashore on the banks of Loch Lomond.
“The location reported to SEPA was within a public space and SEPA referred the complainant to West Dunbartonshire Council to deal with under their remit for litter.”
A spokesperson for Cameron House said: “At Cameron House, protecting our natural surroundings is a top priority. Following the storm on December 22, our team and the Trossachs National Park Rangers acted swiftly to clear debris from Loch Lomond’s shores.
“As well as bringing the polystyrene pontoon floats further inshore to minimise environmental harm, our priority was to take the damaged boats out of water to ensure fuel didn’t cause a bigger issue.
“Our expert contractors, who were immediately called out to evaluate the safety of the jetty, have now returned to work after the festive break and are on-site this week to remove the heavy floats.
“We are working extremely hard in collaboration with the Park Rangers and Marine Sales Scotland to ensure the area is restored as quickly as possible.
“With a Green Tourism Award recognising our high standards of sustainability practices, we remain fully committed to restoring the area and thank our community for their patience as we continue to prioritise the cleanup and our shared responsibility to protect this extraordinary landscape”.
A spokesperson for LLTNP added: “We are aware of the concerns raised by Balloch and Haldane Community Council regarding debris following the storm in late December last year.
“The storm caused significant damage to Cameron House Marina, where extreme winds broke boats from their moorings and dislodged pontoon floats, which also became detached due to extreme northerly winds, fortunately no one was injured despite several boats being submerged on the shoreline.
“After the storm, our Ranger Team Manager contacted Cameron House Marina to ensure that they were assessing the impact of the damage and taking steps to clear resulting debris.
“Given the potential negative impact on the loch, our staff were instructed to clear debris from the Loch shores around Drumkinnon, Duncan Mills Memorial Slipway and Balloch Pierhead immediately after the storm.
“We have assisted the team at Cameron House to remove 31 bags of debris, including polystyrene blocks – as part of their ongoing clear up operation.
“As a National Park Authority, we are committed to maintaining the loch’s environment.
“We will continue to liaise with Cameron House, to ensure that the area is monitored for further debris.”