Warning issued after rangers find party balloon on mountainside

Rangers have issued a warning to the general public after a party balloon was found on an Aberdeenshire mountainside.

Workers from the Mar Lodge Estate, designated as a national nature reserve, found the item 850 metres up on Coire Etchachan as they collected willow catkins for a restoration project.

After making the discovery, the nature reserve took to social media to warn the public that floating balloons can injure animals and damage the natural environment.

The estate said: “We were back up in rugged Coire Etchachan earlier this week, collecting willow catkins for the montane willow project.

“While we were rummaging around the boulders we also found another crashed party balloon, at around 850m altitude.