Edinburgh locals have expressed their frustration this week after images showed the castle esplanade acting as a car park.
The beauty spot in the city centre is usually getting ready for the Tattoo at this time of year, however with the event cancelled, tourists and visitors have been using the space as an easy parking spot.
On Monday (July 20), Edinburgh author Ian Rankin took to twitter to show the stark contrast between the castle last year and now, with the first image showing the esplanade deserted.
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However, with temperatures peaking into the twenties, the second image showed at least 30 cars using the viewpoint as a car park, with rows and rows stretching along the square.
In a tweet, Ian Rankin said: "What a difference a year makes..."
Other locals were much more vocal with their frustrations, with one account replying: " Hi @HistEnvScot what is the esplanade for? Can you imagine another jewel in a World Heritage Site anywhere in the world been treated as a car park?
"It's unsafe for your visitors, for starters, not to mention creates lots of unnecessary traffic up Castlehill."
Another said: "This would usually be occupied by the stands for the Tattoo. But it would have been great to see it used more imaginatively this year - especially with so much culture needing to be socially distanced: all that space."
In a response on social media, Historic Environment Scotland stated that more cars had been allowed to park than "they would usually allow" due to coronavirus restrictions.
They replied: "These are duty vehicles belonging to staff, contractors and MOD. There are still more than we would usually allow due to the pandemic and the previous concern over public transport.
"As restrictions lift further we intend on returning to use of public transport."
