Snowdonia visitors must now pre-book car park spaces on weekends under new rules to tackle traffic

Cars have been parked illegally across the park as tourists flock to the beauty spot.

Weekend visitors to Snowdonia must now pre-book a car parking space under new rules to tackle traffic chaos at the beauty spot.

It comes following a busy couple of months, with cars parked illegally across the park as huge numbers opt for staycations in favour of travelling abroad.

The pilot scheme, which will be in place until the end of Summer, will mean motorists have to book spaces on weekends and bank holidays on the the Snowdonia National Park website.However, more changes are expected for parking and transport across the Snowdon and Ogwen areas for long-term solutions to overcrowding across the popular tourist spots.Anyone without a pre-booked space will need to use the Park and Ride facilities at Nant Peris and Llanberis to access Pen-y- Pass.

Hundreds of drivers parked along Pen-y-Pass visiting Snowdonia were issued with fines on one weekend in July.

Some of those visiting the beauty spot have been parking illegally, causing huge traffic queues and leaving litter.

Towing services have been called to remove vehicles parked by road sides, with fixed penalty notices handed to 180 drivers one Sunday last month.

It's led to some animosity between tourists and locals, with local businesses and residents have called for visitor charges at tourist hotspots in order to pay for staff who can monitor parking and crowd numbers.