Anger at trail of rubbish left at Beacon Fell Country Park

Beacon Fell Country Park, near Longridge, posted pictures on Facebook of litter left behind by visitors at the weekend.

Empty bottles, portable barbecues, camp fires, chairs and other rubbish had been left in the woods at the beauty spot.

The beauty spot's carparks are now open, even though the visitor centre itself is still officially closed owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

The country park posted :"If you ever wondered how much rubbish we have to deal with at Beacon Fell when the weather is warm , these pics might give you an idea .

"Of course this is compounded by the current corona crisis as we have have had many more visitors some of whom really do not know how to respect the countryside."

Countryside managers have reminded the public that barbecues are not allowed on the park - and certainly no fires because of the risk of wildfires which have occupied Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service for days..

Visitors have been reminded there is a dedicated barbecue area at Carwags picnic site on Carwags Lane on the edge of the park.

The rubbish left behind by visitors provoked an angry reaction on social media.

Jessica Welsh posted: "Absolutely disgusting , makes me hate people .. we love Beacon Fell and normally come often as it's a lovely peaceful walk with the dog with fantastic scenery."

Andrew Mullaney, head of service for planning and environment, said: "We are saddened by the amount of rubbish which people left behind at Beacon Fell over the weekend.

"People are welcome to visit Beacon Fell and our other countryside sites as long as they observe the current restrictions to prevent the spread of coronavirus, however we would ask them to take their rubbish home with them.

"Some of the staff we would usually rely on to clean up the site have been redeployed to help vulnerable people and critical services during the coronavirus crisis, however we will make it a priority for the limited number of staff we have available.