AN “ALARMING amount of human waste” is being left at county beauty spots.

Visitor numbers to East Lothian, and particularly the county’s coastline, have surged since the coronavirus pandemic.

Many of the visitors camp on site but East Lothian Council Countryside Rangers have urged people to behave responsibly.

A spokesperson for the group said: “In recent weeks we have been finding an alarming amount of human waste and associated litter on many of our sites, particularly Yellowcraig.

“Not only is this unnecessary it is totally unpleasant for us working on the sites, not to mention the visitors who then have to deal with the consequences of themselves/children/dogs coming in to contact with it.

“When in the countryside, you should prepare for the call of nature.”

Yellowcraig and a number of the other coastal areas have public toilets.

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The spokesperson offered advice for when toilets were not to hand.

They said: “If you need to poo, ‘go’ as far away as possible from buildings, paths, open water and rivers, and from any farm animals.

“Either bury it in a shallow hole and replace the turf, or bag it and carry it away with you.

“If you need to pee, make sure you do so at least 30 metres from lochs, rivers and burns so you don’t pollute the water.

“Make sure you’ve packed a trowel, toilet paper, hand sanitiser, and sealable bags for your litter to make it easy to clean up.

“Wash your hands with water or use hand sanitiser afterwards.”