THEY have brought camping to the masses in search of a cheap weekend in the great outdoors. But Scotland's national parks are now having to deploy extra rangers to deal with an epidemic of abandoned campsites – complete with cut-price supermarket tents, sleeping bags and other equipment – in beauty spots.

Officials in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs park and the Cairngorms are routinely discovering tents still erected but otherwise deserted by revellers who have gone home without clearing up. Other tents have been set alight and left to smoulder.

SCOTLAND'S first national park is to ban camping in three beauty sports in a bid to eradicate violence and vandalism at drunken parties. The tough measures proposed by the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority (NPA) will herald an end to the right to virtually unfettered access to one of Scotland's most popular visitor destinations.

Having pursued policies weighed in favour of conservation and education, the NPA now believes greater prevention and enforcement is necessary to meet its long-term goals of easing visitor pressure and "eliminate" the drunkenness, vandalism, criminal damage and assault plaguing the bonnie banks. The authority has taken legal advice which it says supports the view that by-laws prohibiting camping in three key "hotspots" in the park would not contradict the principles of existing land-reform legislation.

A CONTROVERSIAL plan to ban camping on the banks of Loch Lomond has been approved by the board of the national park authority. Under the new by-law, voted through yesterday, anyone caught "wild camping" in a nine-square-mile restricted zone could be fined £500.

Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority believes the new law, the first of its kind in Scotland, is needed to combat vandalism caused by young people flocking to the area during the summer and wreaking havoc. During an average August, as many as 500 vehicles and tents set up camp in the area, according to the authority.

Unruly visitors regularly leave piles of rubbish, tents and even burned-out vehicles. Groups also bring chainsaws and cut down swathes of trees for firewood. However, critics say the camping ban undermines Scotland's hard-won right-to-roam laws and sets a precedent that other areas might follow.

Typical of scumbags who likely are out for the night with their "blue-bags". Boozed up and likely stoned on something else also. Best thing would be to put a bull or a stag on some of these lands and that would put a stop to their ruining the place for others.

THE banks are becoming bonnier. Stringent new laws in one of Scotland’s tourism hot spots have brought a significant reduction in anti-social behaviour. Loch Lomond’s status as an international tourism destination was being threatened by hordes of unruly young “wild campers”, who regularly left behind mounds of rubbish, abandoned tents and even burned-out vehicles. Some groups were even using chainsaws to cut down trees for firewood in what is a protected national park.

But new figures to be presented to the area’s park board tomorrow show a significant reduction in the number of people camping in banned areas and incidents of littering. Since new bylaws threatening £500 fines were introduced on 1 June, the authority has recorded a large decrease in wild camping – pitching tents outside designated areas.

A camping ban on east Lomondside could be extended to four islands in the loch to tackle "irresponsible behaviour" like vandalism and fire lighting. The Loch Lomond National Park said "major change" was needed to secure the future of Inchmoan, Inchconnachan, Inchtavannach and Inchcruin.

New laws banning camping outside designated sites is one of three options being considered. A public consultation reviewing all by-laws on the loch has been launched. It will run for three months, closing on 18 June. The four islands are considered special protection areas and are home to many rare species, such as capercaillie, osprey and otters.

A crackdown on anti-social behaviour in one of Scotland's most famous beauty spots is getting under way. Operation Ironworks - a six-month police-led project to stop people misbehaving in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park - launches on Friday.

Last year, bylaws banning the drinking of alcohol in public and wild camping in the summer months were introduced. This year will see high visibility patrols by officers on foot and in vehicles, with community police, road police and officers from the dog section to reassuring visitors and deterring troublemakers.