LOCALS on a Scottish island have reacted with disbelief at an image of campers having set up for the night in an extremely precarious position.

Hundreds of comments have been left in less than two hours on a post on the Isle of Harris Facebook group which shows a full campsite set up, reportedly on Northton beach.

“When asked why they said we are not doing anything wrong and there is no sign saying no camping,” Harris local Peter Hooper wrote, sharing the pictures.

The two images show a car on the sand parked alongside a large canvas tent, camping chairs, and two picnic tables.

One image seems to show a make-shift barrier made out of sand, apparently with the goal of protecting the camp from the rising tide.

As other locals have pointed out, the tide should be a real concern for the campers.

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“Looks like high tide is 9pm tonight. Hope you're still there with your camera handy!” one user joked.

“A spring tide could bring out the lifeboat and helicopter,” another added.

A third wrote: “The home-made sea defences really make it though, like that's gonna work.

“They need moving on before everything they own is f**ked, including the car. Really, really stupid.”

A fourth said: “Only need to look at the seaweed on the sand to see how far the sea comes in! Not rocket science to see how bloody stupid this is!”

The National:

“I do hope they are sleeping on inflatable mattresses as they might well need them when the tide comes in tonight! … that and a tractor to recover their submerged jeep…” a fifth wrote.

Other users called the camp set up "unbelievable" and "disrespectful", though many argued that the campers were within their rights to set up on the beach, it was just their method which was questionable.

Others raised concerns about how they would get off the sand.

“Is there not a massive step at the bottom of the concrete to the beach too? How will they get back up?” one user wrote, adding: “Gòrach!!!”

The Visit Outer Hebrides website suggests that such a campsite would not be considered wild camping.

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It states: “Whilst we would always encourage you to use campsites for all or most of your trip, we realise that you may need to wild camp at times – especially whilst traversing the Hebridean Way where there are parts where there is not much accommodation provision.

“Just to be clear when we talk of wild camping we dont mean camping next to your car, (this is not wild camping!) we mean pitching up way off the beaten track and away from communities.”

The Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC) covers wild camping, but the vehicle would not seem to be covered.

The SOAC website states: “Access rights extend to wild camping. This type of camping is lightweight, done in small numbers and only for two or three nights in any one place.”

Northton Bay is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).