There was outrage this weekend as a group of illegal campers decided to dump their tents and waste for local litter pickers to clean up.

The remnants of the camp at Thirlmere, which was described as a “right old horrible mess”, included five tents, camping chairs, laughing gas canisters, plastic cups, food waste, empty bottles and cans, and wet wipes.

Litter pickers who attended the scene collected 13 bags of rubbish and spent hours dismantling and separating what was left of the camp.

“It’s really saddening to be honest,” said Nicola Bolton of The Lakes Plastic Collective.

“After another lockdown, people have still got no respect for the countryside and the beautiful places that they’re visiting.

“When I saw the video of the site initially I thought ‘here we go again’.”

Nicola, who helped clean up the mess with two others, is worried this could be a trend with the easing of restrictions this week.

“Its wonderful that we’re going to have all the visitors back who do look after the place and who do respect it, but its not nice for them or the people who live here. You bring your kids and family for a day out to find you’re sat next to big groups of people who are just having their own festival.”

Nicola set up The Lakes Plastic Collective with her friend., Josh, in May 2020 to help tackle litter in the Lake District.

Cumbria Police are aware of the incident.

Assistant Chief Constable, Andy Slattery, said: “Criminal damage and the dumping of litter and discarded equipment is not acceptable at any time and anybody found to be committing such acts is liable to prosecution.

“The Constabulary will be working together with partners including the Lake District National Park Authority and United Utilities – as we have throughout the last 12 months – to ensure that people are aware of the rules and their responsibilities and, where necessary, to prosecute offenders.

“Camp sites and self-catering accommodation are expected to reopen in two weeks so we would ask people to be patient at this time when planning a camping trip."

Lake District National Park Authority Chief Executive, Richard Leafe, said: "We know how important the Lake District is going to be in the coming months to help with peoples' health and wellbeing.

"Our message is whether coming for the first of fiftieth time, is: plan ahead, try to discover somewhere that's new to you and enjoy your time here, but please leave no trace.

"By working together and planning ahead for the return of more people coming to the county, we're equipped for managing potential challenges whilse ensuring a warm welcome to new and returning visitors.

"This includes creating area-specific action plans to help manage issues experienced during summer 2020 such as local parking issues, fly-camping and anti-social activities.

"Our poractive approach ensures we can respond to the latest challenges and support communities, visitors, businesses and our vital local healthcare services."