Responsible parking at beauty spots urged

We are asking the public to park responsibly following a number of issues at local beauty spots in Aberdeenshire over the weekend.

Officers from the Kincardine and Mearns Community Policing Team have been working in partnership with Aberdeenshire Council Ranger Services conducting high visibility patrols at “hot spot” sites likely to see large numbers of visitors including St Cyrus Nature Reserve, Drum castle Estate and the area of Stonehaven Harbour.

While officers were in attendance at St Cyrus, an Ambulance arrived trying to attend an emergency call at the beach but struggled to gain access due to a number of vehicles parked irresponsibly along the verges.

The inconsiderate parking caused great difficulty in allowing the ambulance access and it was by luck that the ambulance was able to access the location.

We want to remind drivers of the dangers caused by inconsiderate parking not only to emergency services but to other road users and pedestrians. Had the ambulance not managed to gain access, the drivers of the vehicles could have found themselves liable to prosecution. We also urge people to plan ahead and have a Plan B in case your chosen location is busy or car parks are full and there is nowhere safe to park.

Local Police Sergeant Kirsty Welsh said ‘’We had beautiful weather this weekend and of course it’s great to see the area busy with people enjoying themselves however we urge those visiting these sites to remember to park responsibly and be considerate to other road users”.

We will continue to carry out high visibility patrols and work with the Aberdeenshire Council Ranger Service.

Aberdeenshire Ranger Service said: “We appreciate the vast majority of motorists to our countryside and coastline park responsibly and heed the signage which has been installed at known hotspots to keep everyone safe.

“However a small minority are very inconsiderate in their approach and the incident at St Cyrus could have had very serious consequences had the ambulance not been able to get through.

“We would remind visitors not to park on verges, across access points or on private property. We understand that people will want to visit some of the more well-known attractions, but we have so many wonderful areas of countryside and coastline in Aberdeenshire that it’s not worth risking our health or impacting on an area when it’s clearly become too crowded.

“So please have a back-up plan - if an area feels too busy or the car park is full, move to your Plan B site.”