CARS clogged one of the main trunk routes through the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park on Saturday – apparently in defiance of renewed pleas from the authorities urging visitors to stay away.

More than 60 vehicles were seen parked on the A83 in Arrochar, around the head of Loch Long, on the morning of June 6.

Village residents Iain Shonny Paterson – also one of the Argyll and Bute councillors for the Lomond North ward, which includes Arrochar and most of the west shore of Loch Lomond – and Chris Johnstone both contacted the Advertiser to draw attention to the problem.

The scene of the latest congestion is close to one of Argyll and Bute Council's two car parks at Glen Loin in the village – both of which have been closed in a bid to discourage people from visiting the area.

READ MORE: Fire crew in crash, a pedestrian near-miss, and public using the beach as an open-air toilet: stories from a weekend of chaos in Luss and Arrochar

Cllr Paterson said: "They're parking right round the head of the loch.

"The council car parks are still shut but there are people parked on the pavement right round the head of Loch Long. They're going to cause an accident."

According to Cllr Paterson, the area was the scene of an accident on Sunday, May 31, involving a fire appliance, caused by dangerously parked vehicles.

Traffic Scotland put out an alert on Twitter on Saturday afternoon warning drivers of the hazard caused by parked vehicles in the area.

However, while visitors don't seem to have been heeding pleas not to visit Arrochar, there appear to have been no repeat of scenes in Luss last weekend, when large crowds descended on the tiny village, despite pleas from the First Minsister and others not to travel more than five miles from their home.

Cllr Paterson said: "I travelled around the area on Saturday morning, just to see how things were going, and Luss was much quieter than it was last week – people living there are much happier with the way things are today."

Prior to the weekend, the national park's chief executive, Gordon Watson, said: "All visitor facilities, including car parks, are staying closed around the national park this weekend.

READ MORE: First Minister admits concern over Loch Lomond visitor numbers

"The national guidance is clear that people should be staying home as much as possible and not travelling more than five miles for outdoor activities.

"People should also specifically not be going to crowded places and beauty spots like we have here in the national park.

"Doing this creates the risk of spreading the infection to small, rural communities, as well as putting unnecessary pressure on local services which are also not yet running as normal.

"The national park is simply not ready for large numbers of visitors yet."

READ MORE: Check out all the latest news headlines from across Helensburgh and Lomond here