WILDLIFE photographers have persuaded East Lothian Council to allow parking in its coastal car parks earlier in the morning so they can capture the sunrise, it has been revealed.

On Tuesday, councillors approved a permanent ban on parking at the coastal car parks at night, apart from in pre-booked designated motorhome spaces.

But while the initial ban was proposed to run between 10pm and 6am, they approved a shorter shutdown which will keep the car parks open until 11pm and allow people back in from 4am.

Councillor John McMillan, Provost of East Lothian said that the change had been made after officers had taken onboard public comments about the ban, which has been trialled since last year.

He said: “I welcome the 4am deadline change, which followed a request from local photographers who want to see an early dawn, capturing the interesting lights and wildlife that is there.”

A report to cabinet said that, since the Covid-19 pandemic, coastal car parks in the county had seen an increase in the number of vehicles visiting and the overnight ban was trialled to protect the area.

Visitor numbers to East Lothian’s coast have surged since the pandemic, leading to extra patrols being sent out to oversee campers and a crackdown on overnight stays.

Last month, the council's countryside rangers reported an "alarming amount of human waste" being found at its sites, in particular at the most popular beach in the county, Yellowcraig.

Councillor Norman Hampshire, council leader, said at the meeting: “As a council, we have a duty to try and protect our coastline.

"We welcome visitors but need to find a balance between letting people have as much access as possible while protecting the area.”

The overnight ban and a plan to investigate introducing more motorhome spaces were approved by cabinet.