Post-lockdown littering expected in tourist spots
COUNCIL bosses say they are expecting rampant litter, parking and antisocial behaviour issues, which bedevilled the county’s tourism hotspots last year, to return when lockdown is eased.
Last year tourist hotspots across much of the Peak District National Park and flashpoints such as Dovedale, Thorpe and Ilam, saw recurring litter, parking and Covid breaching issues.
This saw police patrols increased and extra parking restrictions, such as yellow lines, put in place in some hotspots.
Derbyshire County Council’s deputy leader, Cllr Simon Spencer, ward member for Dovedale, had said the county had been experiencing the “untenable” “pandemic of dropping rubbish” in beauty spots.
Now, ahead of lockdown potentially easing from March 29 – allowing minimal travel, outdoor sports and gatherings of up to six outdoors – Derbyshire County Council officials are expecting the same problems to rear their heads.
Tim Gregory, the authority’s interim director of economy, transport and the environment, told a scrutiny committee meeting: “We had a meeting yesterday to talk about what we think is the inevitable surge in visitors which Derbyshire will see over the summer or spring and summer, as soon as lockdown is opened.
“Members will be acutely aware of the challenges that were faced last year with traffic, litter, anti-social behaviour and so on.
“We are looking at whether there are any additional temporary facilities that we want to do, whether we try to arrange for more litter collection, whether we put in more yellow lines, additional car parks somewhere.
“We are working internally but as well as with the Peak District National Park and other spots.
“We think there is going to be a massive uplift in visitors as soon as people are released from being at home and we will have to see how that plays out.
“If members have got a particular issue or concern then highlighting that early to us maybe helps us to be thinking about further planning to try and mitigate the problem.
“We won’t be able to eliminate the problem but at least we might be able to mitigate it.”
Last Easter and summer, Dovedale hit the headlines as scenes of dozens of visitors flocked to the area despite Covid guidance and then restrictions.
Residents were left to gather mounds of litter and other waste including many disposable barbecues. Some residents in the Thorpe area were not able to leave their homes due to their drives being blocked by visitors.
Cllr Spencer had said:
“Local communities have experienced traffic issues on the highways that we have never seen the likes of before.”