9th September 1960: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince
9th September 1960: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh with their children, Prince Andrew (centre), Princess Anne (left) and Charles, Prince of Wales sitting on a picnic rug outside Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, purchased Balmoral Castle in 1846, and the small castle which stood in the 7,000 hectare wooded estate was redeveloped in the 1850s.The granite building was designed by Aberdeen architect William Smith with suggestions from Albert himself, who decided the interior decoration should represent a Highland shooting box with tartan or thistle chintzes, and walls decorated with trophies and weapons. Queen Victoria often visited the Highlands with her family, especially after Albertfs death in 1861, and Balmoral is still a popular retreat for the present royal family. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)
  • Balmoral Castle, the British Family's 50,000-acre (20,000 hectares) estate in the Scottish highlands, has had a recent issue of visitors defecating near walking paths.
  • Staff from the estate, which closed its public restrooms because of the coronavirus pandemic, said on social media they've found an abundance of wipes and human waste near highly trafficked areas.
  • They've requested that any visitors that have to go to the bathroom do so far from activity and buildings and "bury feces in a shallow hole and replace the turf."
  • For more stories, go to www.BusinessInsider.co.za. 

Employees at Queen Elizabeth's Scotland vacation home have asked visitors to stop defecating so close to the property's public pathways after finding wet wipes discarded all over the grounds.

The property around Balmoral Castle, the British Family's Scottish home, is open to visitors who want to see memorials and take walks on property's paths.

But because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the 50,000-acre (20,000 hectares) Aberdeenshire estate has closed its public bathrooms, which appears to have caused chaos among guests.

"Disappointed to see so many wipes discarded on the Estate today. Next to paths and monuments. Please remember there are no public toilets open for miles around at the moment," staff at Balmoral wrote on Twitter, along with photos of wet wipes on the ground.

On Facebook, the estate's staff said they've seen "increasing quantities of human waste" on the property. They told CNN that they've found feces alarmingly close to walking paths.

"If you need to pee, please do so at least 30 meters from lochs or streams," staff said on Facebook. "If you need to defecate, do so as far away as possible from buildings, from open water or rivers and streams, and from any farm animals. Bury feces in a shallow hole and replace the turf. Use biodegradable toilet paper rather than wipes. Thanks for your help."

The Queen has spent much of the coronavirus lockdown in her Windsor home, though she and her family do spend several weeks every year at Balmoral.

Receive a daily update on your cellphone with all our latest news: click here.

Get the best of our site emailed to you daily: click here.

Also from Business Insider South Africa: