A group of YouTubers was accused of “disgusting” behaviour after they uploaded a video in which they appeared to leave their toilet waste at the side of the road while touring the Scottish Highlands.

Known as TPD TV, the group from Leeds shared an 50 minute-long video of their trip, during which they also called the Highlands “boring”.

Footage of them leaving their waste on a layby caused outrage among locals, and the incident was logged with Police Scotland, Highland Council, Sepa and the NC500 organisation, reports The National.

“This is irresponsible and disgusting behaviour which certainly doesn’t reflect the behaviour of the thousands of visitors we have each year on the route,” said a spokesperson for The Highland Council.

“We urge visitors to the region to enjoy their stay in our beautiful locations but to ‘leave no trace’.

“Sadly, a minority continue to take no responsibility for their own actions.

“In these cases, officers from the Council will work with Police Scotland and SEPA to take appropriate enforcement action. This may include using fixed penalty notice (FPN) powers under fly-tipping legislation which can result in a £200 FPN being issued to offenders.”

The TPD TV channel, which has more than 30,000 YouTube subscribers, describes itself as “the real-life Inbetweeners” and claims to offer “festival and travel vlogs done the right way.”

The group originally stated that the video had been taken “out of context” and said: “Whilst we understand the concerns, please bear in mind that we are an entertainment channel. Not everything is real. We hope our dedicated viewers continue to enjoy our content.”

However, an apology has since been issued in response to increasing backlash from locals.

“Over the last 72 hours we have been reflecting and learning how much of an issue pollution is in the Scottish Highlands,” said TPD TV in a statement.

”We have learned that this is an ongoing issue for people living the ‘van life’ – a life we covet and admire, along with being a big concern for residents of the Scottish Highlands in general.

“Whilst we can confidently say that we do stage a lot of our entertainment, that is not relevant. We set the wrong example this time and we want to do something to make it right."

The group said it had donated a “substantial” amount to environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful and would be adding disclaimers to its videos in future.