With reference to the anonymous letter to the Courier entitled ‘Yellow lines’ (June 25), I would like to support East Lothian Council in their painting of yellow lines near the car park at Tyninghame Links.

The coastline and woodland here are of high conservation value and when the council introduced the coastal car parking policy, they deliberately restricted the spaces here to limit disturbance of the important sensitive habitats and wildlife.

They could have decided to create a larger car parking area to maximise income but, to their credit, they did not do this.

In contrast, they allowed much more parking on the opposite side of the estuary, at John Muir Country Park, which is closer to Dunbar and the East Links Family Park.

Such zoning is a useful tool both to provide space for people to freely enjoy the outdoors while also protecting (some) habitats for wildlife and for those who prefer a more peaceful environment.

Although I support the actions of the council for the reasons given, I do think they should have gone further and imposed some additional restrictions within the John Muir Country Park on the east side of the estuary.

In particular, dogs off the lead persistently disturb feeding and nesting birds and I believe that dogs should only be allowed in the area of the country park west of the car park and toilet block if they are on a lead.

At present the only coastal area on the East Lothian coast where there are restrictions on dogs is the Aberlady Bay nature reserve (though even here some dog walkers ignore the signs asking them not to take dogs into the area).

We owe it to our citizens and visitors, both now and in the future, to preserve what natural heritage we still have along our coasts.

Mark Holling

North Berwick