The National Trust is urging people not to fly-camp on its land
The National Trust is urging people not to fly-camp on its land, following a dramatic increase in the amount of discarded equipment and litter being left behind at countryside and coastal locations.
The charity said that its ranger teams are now spending a fifth of their timeclearing up after visitors rather than on protecting wildlife and nature.
The Trust says the increase in fly-camping could be due to the increasing number of people being more likely to 'staycation' this summer because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Trust is also urging the public not to camp without the landowner's permission and to respect the countryside and other visitors.
Since the easing of lockdown restrictions in England, beauty spots like the Peak District and Lake District have seen more people camping, and a spike in the number of camper vans parking overnight, without permission.
The Head of Nature Conservation and Restoration, Ben McCarthy, has described some peoples antisocial behaviour as "a disposable festival mentality which we've never seen before".
The following figures show the amount of equipment and litter that has been left in Dovedale in the Peak District:
There has also been several barbecues and a couple of camping tables that have been left for rangers to clear up in Dovedale over the past couple of weeks.
The National Trust is warning people that despite recent rain, the countryside remains dry and therefore campfires could spread.
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