Council calls on public to heed Health and Safety Warnings at Caithness woodland

The Highland Council is urging dog walkers in Caithness to heed health and safety advice and to stop using the Newtonhill Community Woodland which was closed as a precautionary measure to all site users by the Council in March 2008.

The site was closed by The Highland Council following investigations to see if it presented a risk of harm to health and the environment. The site is a former landfill, and evidence has been found for a number of contaminants, including asbestos.  The nature of the site means that there is uncertainty about its composition, and further sampling is unlikely to reduce this uncertainty.

Dieter Tuerlinckx, Highland Council’s East Caithness Countryside Ranger said: “Despite many clear notices put up by the Council some people are still entering the woodland to walk their dogs on a daily basis. We understand that the closure of the site has been a blow to the community, as there aren’t many other places to go to. However, we ask people to respect the Council’s decision on closing the site for health and safety reasons and urge people not to enter the site.”

Part of the fence at the entrance of the woodlands has also been broken down on numerous occasions. The Council has a duty to make sure the fence is in good repair, and has had to fix the fence repeatedly at the Council Tax payers’ expense.

Northern Constabulary have been notified of these acts of vandalism and are making regular patrols of the area.

Dieter Tuerlinckx asked for the public’s patience and cooperation: “A new site has been purchased by Forestry Commission (Scotland) at Newton Hill Croft (close to the current woodland), which will be developed as a new community woodland, in partnership between the Forestry Commission, Friends of Newton Hill and the community at large. Whereas we appreciate the local community’s frustration at losing access to Newtonhill Woodland we urge patience and ask for their cooperation by respecting the closed system for their own and their pets’ health and safety.”

Forestry Commission Scotland have indicated that Newtonhill Croft will have one field for local use in the short term and once the site is de-crofted, developed and planted the entire site will be for recreational use.