That was the warning from one conservation group who said members were left disgusted at a recent inspection of the area, adding the level of litter and rubbish in the area was ‘dreadful’.

Now James Fraser, chairman of the Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs, has called for urgent action to be taken by local authorities and road maintenance groups, or risk tarnishing the name of Scotland’s ‘Bonnie Banks’.

He said: “I was shocked to see the dreadful condition of a number of lay-bys at lochside beauty spots, which are currently a very poor advert for the National Park and Scotland’s aspirations to be a world class tourist destination.

“Extensive amounts of litter are strewn all over the lay-bys and surrounding areas and this is even before the busy Easter holiday period and the main tourist season gets underway.” Under the Environmental Act 1995, litter picking in roads and laybys on the trunk road network, is the responsibility of local authorities.

In this area that is split between two local authorities, West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC) and Argyll and Bute Council (ABC) .

A spokeswoman confirmed WDC is responsible for a small section of the road from Balloch to the Duck Bay hotel on the A82, after which, Argyll and Bute takes over responsibility for up-keep.

A spokeswoman for the Argyll and Bute told us: “We are responsible for picking litter from the laybys on the A82 along Loch Lomondside.

“This is done on a weekly basis, all year round. It is a priority as the laybys are highly visible.

“However, we appeal to the public to take litter home with them especially if they stop in a layby for a picnic.” Mr Fraser was commenting after the group visited the area to inspect the now unobstructed views of Loch Lomond from the A82.

The work was carried out by the Friends with grant support from the National Park Authority.

After the pre-Easter inspection, Mr Fraser said the state of roads and lay-bys in the area could ruin what was ‘supposed to be a special year for Scotland’.

He added: “This should be an opportunity to showcase a high quality tourist route and visitor journey experience alongside the bonnie banks to millions of visitors who are coming from around the world.

“It seems this is low down the list of priorities for authorities and I am calling for them to take urgent action to introduce a more regular programme of litter clearance more fitting for one of Scotland’s top tourist attractions which is a magnet for four million visitors every year.” As part of an ongoing campaign the Friends have been lobbying for a comprehensive action plan to be drawn up for the tourist routes, asking for these to be implemented on the A82 corridor between Balloch and Tarbet on Loch Lomondside.

The Friends believe the quality of the visitor experience ‘falls well short’ of that ‘required for such a special and iconic place’.

Mr Fraser added: “Much more could be done to ensure the lochside is showcased more effectively to tourists to encourage them to linger longer in the area as opposed to rushing through to other destinations.” BEAR Scotland has responsibility for litter picking on the motorways.