Rubbish – including tents and camping gear – has been left by people visiting Buttermere.
The National Trust has reported that last week its rangers found countless bags of rubbish, tents, chairs and other camping equipment left by the lake and in the woodlands.
No camping signs were also ripped from their posts and large logs were rolled into streams.
A spokesman for the conservation charity described the discovery as heart-breaking, adding: “While we want to encourage more people to enjoy the outdoors, we all have a responsibility to look after the places we visit.
“Litter has been an issue for many years, but we’ve seen an increase in the amount of rubbish, human waste and discarded equipment being left behind in beauty spots like Buttermere.
“Unfortunately this means National Trust teams and volunteers have to spend more time clearing up when we could be out working on vital conservation work in these areas.”
The problem of discarded rubbish was acute during the COVID outbreak when people chose to visit the Lake District in their thousands and there were weekly reports of abandoned camps and rubbish left lying around the countryside.
The trust spokesman added: “Please help us keep our national park healthy and beautiful by respecting our signage and taking litter with you and a big thank you to our dedicated rangers and volunteers who are always there to help clean up.”
