What it’s like living next to ‘day of shame’ beauty spot
RESIDENTS SAY WHAT IT’S LIKE LIVING NEAR ‘DAY OF SHAME’ RESERVOIR BESET ON HOT DAYS BY PROBLEM VISITORS
NEIGHBOURS living near a popular beauty spot have told of the nightmare they face when the sun comes out at the weekend.
Amid a number of issues involving visitors to Foremark Reservoir near Repton, it is claimed some urinate right outside its neighbours’ houses.
The reservoir has become the place to be in the nice weather – but it has also recently become a hotbed for bad parking and driving, irresponsible parenting, littering and yobbish behaviour, with cases of the reservoir’s rangers suffering verbal abuse.
Now the Burton Mail has spoken to people living near the attraction about what it is like for them when Foremark gets busy.
It comes after people’s behaviour there on the hottest day of the day earlier this month led to officers from the Swadlincote Police Safer Neighbourhood Team calling it a “day of shame”.
The parking got that dangerous in the area that they had to close the roads in a bid to prevent an accident from happening.
Some of the problems officers faced included one parent leaving a child alone in a hot car, litter louts, “bare-chested hooligans” terrorising neighbours, a woman who ignored the closed road sign and drove down anyway, and volunteers being abused. One family even got stuck in the grounds as they did not leave on time.
The police were also faced with 27 ignorant drivers who dumped their vehicles on the grass verge next to double-yellow lines.
However, for those living nearby, this is not a new problem – they regularly find themselves fearing an accident. To stop people parking outside their homes, they have put up signs, cones, even logs.
Philip Cowley, who lives near the reservoir, said one of the problems is that the rangers finish at 4pm and people turn up after it has closed, parking where they can. They are then there until the early hours.
He said: “It used to only be busy on the hot and sunny bank holidays, but nowadays it’s any hot Sunday or warm evening.
“It gets closed at 8pm, so people just park where they can and walk and spend until the early hours in the reservoir grounds.
“The traffic problems are a major concern. A motorcyclist was badly injured last summer when they were parking on the road down here. After that highways agreed to put in double yellow lines.
“Once Severn Trent (which runs the site) has closed the access on busy Sundays, people have clearly come from quite a distance and have a need for the toilet when they arrive so they feel the need to relieve themselves in public.” He added that those who have driven a long distance to get there are often left confused over what to do when the gates close as they have children in the car or friends following them, so they often just park illegally.
Mr Cowley said: “All of us residents do feel sorry for those who have come a long distance without having notice from Severn Trent that they are closing the gates.
“They are looking for a nice green space to go to but the trouble then is they resort to illegal parking and then there is a potential for an accident.
“On Sunday, I was waiting for an accident and I was out encouraging people not to stop on the blind bend as other people would hit them from behind. The local police arrived really quickly and amazingly nothing bad happened.
“It’s a shame to have to put up with the litter but the parking is worse, as people’s safety is paramount. It’s clearly a very nice facility but there’s a hostile edge to it and that started a couple of years ago and is slowly getting worse.”
John Bell, who has lived near Foremark since 1994, said: “People pretty much park wherever they want. It used to be a lot worse.
“The double yellow lines have made it more difficult. People park in side roads and then block up the road. They just park where they can find a space.
“They are dropping litter everywhere as well. A lady down the road said they had some trouble with people parking up in front of her place on the Sunday.”
He said other residents had experienced people urinating outside their property.
He said: “It’s annoying, really. I don’t know why over the past three years it’s become a really big attraction on a nice day. They all seem to pitch up here. The road gets blocked up so if you’re trying to get out it’s a struggle.
“Severn Trent does seem to be taking better care of it with stewards on the entrance who are turning people away but they are getting a lot of abuse from people are well.
“In the middle of summer I hope it is going to rain rather than be sunny as it keeps people away.
“I’m sure it’s a nice place to go for the afternoon.”
Severn Trent has moved to remind visitors there are still social distancing measures in place, including closing the car park when it reaches full capacity.
A spokesperson said: “While we absolutely want everyone to enjoy themselves when visiting Foremark, it’s really important that everyone keeps safe, and shows care on their visit and respect the local area.
“There are still social distancing measures in place to keep people safe, which includes limiting the number of visitors and closing the car park when full. If the car park is full and closed, we’re asking people to turn back, and not park on the grass verges or neighbouring roads.
“We’re also continuing our work with the local police and council to prevent this dangerous and illegal parking on the neighbouring roads to keep the wider community and local residents safe.
“As well as this, we’ve seen lots of litter left across the site due to the increase of visitors we’ve had and we want to encourage everyone visiting to please use the bins provided, or preferably just take their rubbish with them.
“We want to remind people that barbecues are also not allowed anywhere on-site, and there’s no swimming or paddling in the water at any time. That said, we are really thankful to those who do visit Foremark and who tidy up after themselves and respect the local community by following the measures in place.
“We know that some customers often help our teams by picking up rubbish, and for that we’re really thankful, and we’re also thankful to the local residents for their understanding as we work with the police on the parking issues.
“It’s really important for anyone who visits Foremark to show care, so that everyone can have a safe and an enjoyable experience.”
In the middle of summer I hope it is going to rain as it keeps people away.
John Bell