A DRUNKEN camper who caused a disturbance at a picturesque loch has been ordered to carry out 70 hours of unpaid community work.

Steven Moffat, 28, from Prestonpans, pleaded guilty at Selkirk Sheriff Court to obstructing two police officers at St Mary’s Loch, a popular tourist spot in the Scottish Borders, west of Selkirk, on July 18.

He also admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting and swearing and causing damage in a vehicle en-route to St Leonard’s Police Station in Edinburgh.

A not guilty plea to assaulting a police officer was accepted by the Crown.

Procurator fiscal Fraser Mathieson said that on the evening of Saturday, July 18, a member of the public found Moffat lying half on and half off the A708 road clearly intoxicated.

The fiscal continued: “Efforts to assist him were met with a torrent of abuse and the police had to be summoned.

“He was lying comatose on a grass verge when police attended at around 7.20pm.

“One of the constables attempted to speak to him; he got told to ‘**** off’.”

Moffat then threatened the officers if they tried to arrest him. He also called a member of the public who witnessed the incident a “paedophile”.

Mr Mathieson added: “Ultimately he was arrested and efforts were made to take him to St Leonard’s.

“But he continued to act in a disorderly manner and was uttering a number of swear words and insults and struggled with officers.”

Moffat’s lawyer said that the self-employed labourer had lost his job due to the coronavirus pandemic and was now living off £290 a month Universal Credit.

He said that Moffat had stopped drinking in 2016 because it led to him getting into trouble.

But after being invited to go wild camping at St Mary’s Loch by friends, he consumed alcohol for the first time since and should not have done it.

Sheriff Peter Paterson said that the behaviour was totally unacceptable but he took into account the fact that Moffat had recognised this.

He ordered him to carry out 70 hours of unpaid work over a nine-month period.