WE know the image of Scotland that we like to present: the beautiful Highlands, the clear blue lochs, and the twisting B-roads through some of the most stunning scenery in the world. Those are the pictures you see on the tourism posters and websites and all of it is true to some extent. But often visitors see another Scotland: the road-side rubbish, fly-tipping, litter and graffiti. Scotland is beautiful, but there is an ugly side too.

For those who live in Scotland, the consequences of the litter and mess can be profound. Often, it is the poorest communities that suffer most and we know that poor environment can affect mental health and well-being. A poorly maintained, dirty environment is also a self-fulfilling prophecy: the dirtier a place is, the less likely people are to look after it.

Sadly, a new report from Keep Scotland Beautiful indicates that, far from heading in the right direction, the problem is getting worse. There are a few areas where there has been some improvement – most dog owners, for example, now routinely pick up after their pets – but recorded levels of litter, graffiti, tipping and general lack of care such as weeds have taken a turn for the worse. Keep Scotland Beautiful, it would seem, is struggling against a rising pile of rubbish.

There are a number of reasons for the problem. First, we have still not seen the deep cultural shift that is needed before we can tackle the issue. Go to Australia and try throwing a cigarette butt on the ground and you will soon find out just how unacceptable littering is there and how quickly someone will tackle you about it. We need that kind of attitude in Scotland, but it won’t happen on its own. Australian attitudes changed thanks to a number of typically straight-talking campaigns and the same is needed here.

But maintaining a clean environment is about more than a publicity campaign, important though that is. It also requires government, central and local, to invest in the communities worst hit. In its report, Keep Scotland Beautiful expresses concern that it is the poorest communities that suffer most and the chief executive Derek Robertson quite rightly identifies spending cuts as part of the problem. But councils must also make sure they are not focusing the resources they have on more affluent areas, just because they are more likely to get complaints from there.

The other critical element to any solution is enforcement. Littering and flytipping are already criminal offences, and the fines have been increased in recent years, but it continues because there is little chance of being caught. Remember that there was a time when wearing a seatbelt was socially acceptable in the UK but attitudes changed because there was a huge public campaign and serious enforcement and the same can happen with litter. Showing a lack of respect for the environment needs to become as rare and socially unacceptable as not wearing a seatbelt or drink-driving. Then, perhaps, all of Scotland will look a lot more like those beautiful tourism posters.