A LABOUR life peer has been accused of breaching the Scottish and UK governments’ remain-at-home regulations by travelling with his wife from England to his cottage on the Black Isle.

Lord Alan Haworth and wife Margaret arrived in the village of Avoch on the last Sunday in March – after the social distancing rules came into force on March 23, which urged everybody across the UK to stay home.

The couple have been on the electoral register at their address in the picturesque village since 2008 and Haworth claims it is his main residence.

He also has properties in London and France.

However it has long been a thorny topic amongst local people, several of whom have said the cottage is vacant for months at a time.

One village resident told The National: “It is absolutely disgraceful.

“This is a small community and I do not wish to reveal my identity given the potential for backlash, but I live in the village and can attest to it being 100% true.

“Many people here are extremely angry and just see this as being another example of arrogant, privileged people who think that rules don’t apply to them.

“I very much hope that you will shine light on this in the hope that it may stop others from doing the same.”

The resident said food delivery slots were already at a premium across the entire area, not least for elderly, disabled and vulnerable people, and local shops carried only limited stock.

“Our local hospital, Raigmore, in Inverness, has only 30 ICU beds for an area larger than Belgium,” they added.

“It is disgraceful that people like him think that it’s okay for them to place an already bigger burden on services that are overstretched at the best of times. It’s got to stop.”

They said the general perception in the village was that people who lived permanently in a particular house would be there more regularly than the Haworths are.

The Avoch resident added: “They are certainly not considered to be local residents among those who genuinely are full-time villagers and everyone that I know refers to their house as being their holiday home.

“That’s not a term you generally give to someone that you see around every week and consider to be a permanent neighbour.”

SNP councillor Craig Fraser told The National: “The only thing I would say is owners of second homes in rural areas should stay at their normal residence and not travel to our communities.

“Their selfish actions are putting additional pressure on already stressed and pressured rural communities and potentially infecting our rural communities.

“If someone is ordinarily resident in a city, they should stay there.

“That is UK and Scottish government guidance.”

Police Scotland said they had received no complaints about the allegations.

Haworth – whose full title is Lord Haworth of Fisherfield, Ross and Cromarty – could not be contacted for comment either in Avoch or London.

However 10 years ago, he wrote in the local community newspaper Chatterbox, a response to a Sunday Times article that concerned his expenses claims from the House of Lords.

The peer said then: “I only go to London when the Lords is sitting and as soon as it is not sitting I come back up here [Avoch] or go to Miradoux … the fact is I have moved to the Highlands, as I always wanted to do when I retired.

“I love the Highlands, which is why, though English by birth, I am a Scottish peer, by choice.”

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