Disgusting scenes as Derbyshire beauty spots left covered in litter by 'day trippers'

Sunny weather and an easing of lockdown rules has led to a large number of people descending on the Peak District and Derbyshire Dales.

As well as criticism of a minority not following social distancing guidance, community leaders have also been shocked by the amount of rubbish which some have left behind.

Now councils across the county have joined to condemn the actions of the ‘mindless minority’ and urge people to show more ‘respect’.

Areas in the Derbyshire Dales have been seriously affected, with photos appearing on social media of littering in Bakewell and other areas.

A Derbyshire Dales District Council spokesperson said: “Clearly the Government’s recent announcement that day trippers can enjoy unlimited travel in England is creating very real issues for local authorities such as Derbyshire Dales.

“Our staff do an incredible job clearing up litter and this isn’t a problem confined only to Bakewell. All of our visitor hotspots are impacted, including our main parks in Ashbourne, Matlock and Matlock Bath and this is testing resources in very challenging times due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

“We ask visitors to respect our communities and the council’s own staff by taking home the litter they create. Authorised officers will not hesitate to issue on-the-spot fixed penalty notices where people contravene advertised Public Space Protection Orders by using disposable barbecues, lighting open fires, consuming alcohol or littering.”

Coun Simon Spencer, Derbyshire County Council’s cabinet member for highways, transport and infrastructure, said: “It is vitally important that visitors use our sites responsibly and take their litter home with them.

“Regrettably littering has increased since lockdown restrictions have been eased with our staff spending considerable time picking up litter left by visitors.

“This impacts upon staffs’ ability to support visitors and deal with other issues such as essential site duties and responding to reports of lost children.

“We’re disappointed to report a number of unauthorised gatherings, this puts people at risk and does not help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

“We’d like to thank visitors who are social distancing, making good use of the space available and using our sites responsibly.”

Concerns have also been raised over the number of discarded barbecues left smoking and potentially sparking moorland fires.

A Peak Dsitrict National Trust spokesperson said: “In the places we look after in the Peak District (such as Dovedale, Slippery Stones and Padley Gorge to name just a few) barbecues and campfires are never allowed.

“We are thankful to the the vigilance of the public for keeping our Peak District ranger team informed. Let's work together to stamp out wildfires in the countryside before they take hold.”

Chesterfield Borough Council says it has seen a rise in fly-tipping as well as littering.

Councillor Jill Mannion-Brunt, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “We have seen a slight increase in reports of fly tipping, with an increase of approximately 20 more complaints between March and May 2020 compared to the same period last year. A lot of the fly tipped rubbish has been green waste and household items.

“Throughout this time, we have continued to collect garden waste bins and were only unable to offer our bulky waste collection service for a short period of time. Where there is sufficient evidence, we will investigate incidents of fly tipping, we are asking residents to ensure that they only use responsible waste disposal providers, in doing so this will help limit fly tipping across our borough.

“It’s vital that we all ensure our rubbish is disposed of properly because fly tipping and littering not only has an impact on the environment and the appearance of our borough, it can also result in significant fines for those who breach the regulations.”