ANGRY Highland residents have taken to social media after discovering freshly cut tree stumps alongside firepits on the NC500 route.
One local in the "NC500 The dirty truth" Facebook group claimed to have found three firepits this weekend despite the threat of wildfires in the hot weather.
Sharing photos of the finds along the west of the popular driving route, he wrote: "Wildfires at the moment are a real danger.
"However it seems on the NC500 some don’t either care or think about their actions. These are 3 fresh fire pits with freshly cut trees for firewood I came across this morning whilst out west.
"Utter disgrace. Not only are people harming the environment by cutting down trees, but the fire risk is very high at the moment. Open fires in the country side should be illegal during the summer months. There is simply no reason to light one."
"Simply unfathomable," wrote Mary King in response.
"I hate the destruction," added another group member.
On Saturday, the Scottish Fire and rescue Service issued a warning for an extreme risk of wildfire for parts of northern Scotland.
On Sunday, firefighters spent hours tackling a wildfire near Aberdeen. Around 100 square metres of gorse was alight and firefighters extinguished the blaze and left the scene at around 4.50am on Sunday.
READ MORE: NC500: Full guide to the iconic Scottish route
Group commander Niall MacLennan, an SFRS wildfire tactical adviser, said: “Over the weekend, the risk of wildfire is very real due to the higher temperatures and forecast low relative humidity.
“This contributes significantly to drying and lowering of moisture content in fine fuels, which are predominant in our countryside.
“If a naked flame comes into contact with this vegetation, it will act as a fuel and could spread rapidly.”
He urged people heading into the countryside to behave responsibly and think twice before using any naked flames.
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