Landscape charity launches Lakes litter survey
Friends of the Lake DistrictA landscape charity has launched an online survey in an effort to get a clearer idea about the scale of littering and illegal camping in a national park.
Friends of the Lake District said it wanted to find out whether people living in the area think the problem is becoming more widespread.
The findings of the questionnaire will be used by the organisation to campaign for measures such as more frequent visits to hotspots by rangers, tougher action against anyone found to be responsible for leaving a mess and more effective prevention steps.
Valleys, roadsides and lake shores are among the areas commonly seeing problems, it says.
The group said people leaving rubbish behind, as well as those camping without the landowner's permission, "seems to have grown as a problem" in recent years.
It added it comes "in the wake of a slew of social media videos of influencers sharing their experiences" in the area without sharing how to visit responsibly and follow the Countryside Code" – a set of guidelines aimed at protecting the outdoors.
The role of influencers has been in the spotlight and in May the Lake District National Park Authority announced it would pay some to help discourage people from fly camping and littering.
Wildfire risk
Kay Andrews, the organisation's engagement lead said: "The lasting effects of leaving rubbish in the landscape aren't just visual.
"Litter can kill wildlife and livestock, damage soils, leach into water systems and cause health hazards, while barbecues and fires can easily cause wildfires in summer.
"When people act in such a thoughtless manner, it ruins the enjoyment of the beautiful countryside of the Lake District for other visitors and causes affected communities stress and upset".
Posts about the Lake District are incredibly popular on platforms such as Instagram, with about 6.4m tags for the location used, compared to 2.4m for the Peak District and 1.9m for Northumberland.