Visitors to a picturesque lochan in the Highlands have raised concerns after being left ‘distressed’ by the sight of the lochan drained of water, leaving a muddy hollow.

Glencoe Lochan drained after an incident occurred during a routine check of the mechanism controlling the sluice gate on the dam at the lochan.

The check is required under the Reservoirs Act to ensure that in the event of extended periods of heavy rainfall, water can be released in a controlled way so as not to overtop the dam.

Considered a very low risk, the check, which usually consists of opening and immediately closing the gate, ran into difficulties when a boulder jammed in the sluice gate entrance preventing it from closing.

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Located just north of the village of Glencoe, Glencoe Lochan is a tract of forest located in one of the most idyllic settings in the country.

The wood was created in the 19th century by Lord Strathcona to remind his Canadian wife of her homeland, with the area around the lochan often said to look like a miniature Lake Louise in British Columbia. 

Visit Scotland note that "the picturesque and serene lochan nestles in the centre of the wood surrounded by majestic, but wild and dramatic conifers and rugged mountains, and there are waymarked trails through the ornamental woodland at the foot of Glen Coe".

Recent visitors to the lochan took to social media to express their concerns about current water levels, with one calling it “an absolute wildlife disaster”.

Another reported how there is "barely a hot tub-sized volume of water left in it", while a third said they were "shocked to see it almost empty".

Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) said the sluice gate blockage issue has been fixed and reassured the public that it expects water levels to return to normal soon, helped by rainfall.

The Scottish Government agency, which is responsible for managing Scotland's national forests and land, said local teams will "maintain informal monitoring" on the site until the water level is back to where it would naturally be at this time of year - and as might be expected in the current hot weather.

In a news release, FLS said that while the incident "did look very dramatic" there are "early indications are that wildlife on the site has been able to make use of other bodies of water nearby and that there has been no long-term impact on biodiversity".

It added that Glencoe Lochan "is not a protected site and is not known as a location where protected species are found".

NatureScot has also been notified of the incident. 

Andy Hunt, FLS West Region Manger, said: “Legislation requires that we carry out regular checks on the gate and this should have been run-of-the-mill with no overall effect on the water level.

“However, on this occasion the water flow carried some debris into the gate opening and jammed it open.

“The blockage was at the base of the gate and we were unable to reach it to remove it until the water level fell low enough. This has now been done, the gate is closed and the lochan is in the process of refilling.

“We would like to reassure everyone that we are also assessing what measures we can put in place to safely prevent or mitigate any similar incident in future and that we will do all we can to prevent this from happening again.”

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The lochan’s low water levels also prompted an "unusual rescue" recently involving members of Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team and local fire crews.

Sharing news of the rescue, Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team wrote: "We were recently asked to assist with a more unusual rescue after a dog got into difficulties at Glencoe Lochan.

"The Lochan had been recently drained due to a fault with the sluice gate, leaving a mixture of thick mud and water behind.

"Three volunteer mountain rescuers attended and used our inflatable rescue board to reach the dog. After a bit of persuading the dog got into the craft and was re-united with its owner on the shore.

"Thank you to the Scottish Fire and Rescue crews from Kinlochleven for their assistance."