LUSS has the great fortune to be in one of the most scenic parts in of all Scotland, to the point where, every year thousands of visitors, from Scotland and much further afield, take the High Road to the village. And therein lies a problem.

For the streets of this picturesque Loch Lomond community of only 120 people are groaning under the collective annual weight of 750,000 visitors and their cars. Whereas other towns would kill for this sort of attention and associated spending power, Luss is only a small place. The annual onset of so many cars causes parking spaces to be at absolute premium at certain periods. Local residents struggle to find space for their own cars. Safety fears have also been raised. To no great surprise, some tempers are becoming frayed.

In advance of a local consultation into the problem, one proffered local solution concerns the installation of number-plate recognition barriers at the main entrance to Luss, which would prohibit access to all but residents and emergency vehicles.

It's easy to sympathise with the villagers but it might be felt that such barriers would effectively put a 'closed for business' sign across the village. Which might be the point, some residents would argue; but what sort of message would this send, particularly to overseas tourists lured by the beauties of Loch Lomond? Surely it would be better for all concerned if another, less drastic solution could be found. There is already a sizeable car-park nearby. Might not another one be created, accompanied by stringent signs urging visitors to use it and avoid inconveniencing the locals? Luss, we are sure, would not want to drive visitors away entirely. The community council says Argyll and Bute Council has yet to devise a concrete plan. With another busy summer on the way, this issue has surely moved up the agenda