Letter of the week: Not impressed with number of campervans at North Berwick seafront

This leaves no parking for anyone driving down there at the weekend; and if you want to go onto the sand at the bottom of the steps by the water treatment plant, you have to cut through tables and chairs set up for their free holiday.

Last weekend, there were 31 units parked up in a fairly small area, yet, being a campervan owner, I am fully aware that on a caravan site they have to keep you six metres apart to comply with fire regulations.

One hopes East Lothian Council intervenes before something terrible happens.

The motorhomes are often less than one metre apart, with fire pits and campfires set up each evening.

On a visit to Ruby Bay in Fife recently, they had a large parking area for about 30 vehicles with seven designated for overnight parking on a first-come, first-served basis. This ensures that anyone staying overnight has sufficient space and seems like a sensible and proactive measure.

The parking in Fife also had a public toilet: I can only hope that all of the campers in North Berwick are taking all of the contents of their toilet cassette and dirty dishwater home to be emptied there and that nothing is being dumped at the beach.

We have a sign displayed here stating ‘No Overnight Parking’ but this is a token gesture, as all motorhome owners know that this is not legally enforceable.

I would like to see a change being made to ensure that the area is safe and for use by overnight tourists, day tourists and locals.

Name and address supplied

An East Lothian Council spokesperson said: “Working with our partners, we continue to actively consider action to support the responsible use of public land. This is important given the popularity of ‘staycations’ and the large number of visitors coming to East Lothian. In the meantime, we would encourage anyone who encounters vehicles parked in an unsafe way on the public road to make the authorities aware by contacting the police on 101.”