ByBenjamin Lewis
Lochbroom Community Council is taking an innovative approach to bathroom breaks in rural areas.
As installing outdoor toilet blocks can prove to be rather expensive (and an eyesore), the council has opted to go for a far cheaper, and arguably more natural, way of disposing of human waste.
They've deployed trowels in approximately 90 lay bys to serve as a way for motorists to dig a hole for their business.
Chairman Topher Dawson said the trowels would offer an "emergency, last resort" for those who desperately need the loo to dig a hole and bury the waste.
He said some of the many "welcome visitors" came to area without knowing there would be few facilities.
The Highlands have been a popular destination for tourists following the easing of some lockdown restrictions.
He said a temporary "urgent solution" was needed and 90 plastic garden trowels had been ordered.
We have about 100 lay-bys in our area but 90 trowels were all that were available to buy.
Last month, Western Isles local authority Comhairle nan Eilean Siar urged tourists travelling the islands in campervans to plan ahead for toilet breaks due to facilities still being closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
By Benjamin Lewis
Benjamin Lewis is the executive producer of UTCR.Live.