Queen's Scottish Estate Being Used as an 'Outdoor Toilet'

Rangers would like Balmoral visitors to be more discreet
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 30, 2020 2:35 PM CDT
Queen's Scottish Estate Being Used as an 'Outdoor Toilet'
Balmoral Castle, near Ballater in the Scottish Highlands.   (AP Photo/Martin Cleaver)

Land reform legislation gave Scots the right to roam through Queen Elizabeth II's vast Balmoral estate—but too many of them have been using it as an outdoor toilet, the Queen's rangers say. In a tweet, Balmoral Castle staff said they were "disappointed" to see so many non-biodegradable wet wipes discarded on the 50,000-acre Aberdeenshire estate, some of them right next to monuments, CNN reports. The rangers noted that public toilets for miles around have been closed due to coronavirus restrictions, but people have been breaking into them and they are "becoming unsanitary." They say they have found "increased amounts of human waste," and "people are choosing to relieve themselves right next to busy paths or monuments rather than move a little bit further away to avoid contamination."

Estate staff acknowledged that Her Majesty's subjects do sometimes have to answer the call of nature, but said they would like them to be more discreet, the BBC reports. "If you've got to go, you've got to go," they said in a Facebook post. "If you need to pee, please do so at least 30 metres from lochs or streams. If you need to defecate, do so as far away as possible from buildings, from open water or rivers and streams, and from any farm animals. Bury feces in a shallow hole and replace the turf. Use biodegradable toilet paper rather than wipes." The estate is the Scottish home of the royal family, though the Queen hasn't visited Scotland since the lockdown began in March. (Earlier this month, the palace released photos of the monarch riding a pony called Balmoral Fern.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X