Moorland Group litter taskforce face 'unprecedented amounts' of visitors' rubbish

The Peak District Moorland Group put together a taskforce of gamekeepers, their families and other moorland residents, who collected the litter which had accumulated

With lockdown gradually easing, soaring temperatures and many people furloughed or working from home, the last few weeks has seen the number of visitors to the Peak District growing week on week.

The Peak District Moorland Group has seen that a combination of huge visitor numbers and a limited police presence to enforce good behaviour has resulted in 'unprecedented amounts' of rubbish being left behind in the National Park.

At the same time, many of the staff employed by the National Park Authority have been furloughed and their usual volunteers are out of action, meaning that the usual litter picking has not been carried out.

The PDMG therefore put together their own taskforce of gamekeepers, their families and other moorland residents, who collected the litter which had accumulated in some of the most remote and idyllic areas of the National Park.

Much of the detritus consisted of empty alcohol containers and disposable barbecues – which cause problems in themselves, having been the cause of a number of moorland wildfires in recent weeks.

Peak District gamekeeper Richard Bailey, who helped mastermind the clean-up, said: “It was especially encouraging to meet like-minded moorland visitors tackling the rubbish along with us, in particular Rosie and Stacey from University of Derbyshire (along with their dog) and a gentleman from Glossop who was clearing rubbish up on Snake summit.

"He made particular reference to broken glass and its potential to cause moorland fires."

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