Coniston councillor recognised for efforts to defend the region from reckless visitors in Lake District

Cllr Ian Wharton - who works with the Lake District National Park Authority as well as being a Liberal Democrat councillor for Broughton and Coniston - spent much of the past two summers defending it from harm by visitors.

He received a councillor recognition award from the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors for his efforts, which he conducted in collaboration with LDNPA, police, and fire services.

ACTION: Patrol team

"I was involved with the initial outbreak of Covid, and we had to respond to the lockdown by shutting down the national park," Cllr Wharton said.

"I was told that they needed help, so I volunteered.

"It was just doing patrols of the patch putting up signs at first.

"Then we realised that once the national parks around Wales and Scotland remained closed, everyone would head to this area, west Windermere and east Coniston.

"The people coming to the area for the first time were not aware of the country code and how to behave properly.

"We even found a drum kit in a cave at Rydal."

Residents in the South Lakes experienced a torrent of littering and reports of places such as Cathedral Cave playing host to raves during the summer of 2020 as holiday makers came to camp in non-official sections.

Police had to deal with human excrement being left in the area, litter and campfires that damaged trees at the height of the problems back in 2020.

This is why the Safer Lakes Group was formed, which Cllr Wharton said delivered a plan to alleviate pressure on the region in 2021.

He said they have collaborated with farmers and other landowners to deal with the increased capacity which led to increasing the amount of parking in the national park by 150 per cent.

"It was quite nice to be recognised for this but what you have to realise is that it was a team effort," Cllr Wharton said.

"I was inspired by how hard everyone else was working during the pandemic and I wanted to do my part."