A HIGH Court judge has condemned the Capital’s controversial giant rubbish bins as a "blot on the landscape".
Lord Dawson, a former Scottish Solicitor General, branded the communal containers eyesores while questioning a police witness during a criminal trial.
The comments come only weeks after Edinburgh City Council won ministerial approval to introduce
the rubbish bins into the Capital’s World Heritage Site as part of a 16-week test run.
The plans sparked more than 100 objections amid claims that the New Town and Old Town would be blighted by the bins.
Lord Dawson, 55, made the comment while quizzing a Lothian and Borders Police officer giving evidence at the trial of a man accused of an armed robbery at a newsagent’s shop in the north of the city.
The court heard the detective describe the scene of a search for the weapon near a block of flats.
"Was that one of those large black bins that are a blot on the Edinburgh landscape?" Lord Dawson asked, before being informed the container in question was of another variety.
New Town councillor David Guest, a vocal opponent of plans to introduce the Italian-designed bins into the World Heritage Site, today claimed there was widespread backing for Lord Dawson’s opinion. He said: "It’s always encouraging if we get support from any quarter, but I don’t think these views are restricted to the judiciary.
"There’s a huge amount of people who feel the same way.
"These ghastly objects can’t possibly enhance the character of all the beautiful buildings, but somehow this hasn’t got through to some of the thick skulls at the City Chambers."
Councillor Guest also questioned whether it was necessary to spend at least £50,000 in public funds on the bins pilot scheme. He added: "From other parts of the city centre, it’s quite clear what a wheelie bin looks like beside listed buildings."
Areas set for the bins in the World Heritage Site include the Canongate, St Mary’s Street, Forth Street, Hart Street, Regent Terrace, Heriot Row, Fettes Row and Howe Street.
The local authority won the support of the Scottish Executive after pledging to conduct independent environmental impact studies both during and after the trial to examine the bins’ effect on street cleanliness, rubbish collection and the historic environment.
But council chiefs today maintained that the bins would actually help the local environment by improving street cleanliness. City environment leader Bob Cairns said: "Judges are notorious for being out of touch."
Lord Dawson could not be reached for comment.
