Authorities have issued a warning to visitors after human excrement and maggot-infested food were all found at a Welsh national park over the bank holiday weekend.
Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority urged visitors to leave only footprints after noticing that more people were fly tipping in the south Wales beauty spot.
In a post on social media, the authority shared photos of discarded food and camping kit picked up over the Bank Holiday weekend at the site which is also known as the Brecon Beacons.
“This is not wild camping,” they said. “This is fly tipping and littering. One of our Wardens spent their Bank Holiday weekend in a less-than-ideal way, clearing up a tent full of kit with chairs, a BBQ and two bags of maggot-infested food and also found human excrement on site.
“When out enjoying nature, respect your surroundings. Leave no trace and take everything back home with you. There is no justification for this behaviour.”
Bronwyn Lally, the park’s head of communications, said it was not an isolated incident.
“It is an increasingly common occurrence for our Wardens, who have spent much of the summer clearing up litter and waste left behind in the National Park. It has been deeply disappointing to see the volume of rubbish being left in such a beautiful area.”
She added that fly-tipping risked an increased concern of wildfires after Wales broke its mean temperature record for the summer. The country was plunged into drought after recording its driest July on record.
Fire and rescue services have been tackling wildfires across South Wales throughout August as the region experienced tinderbox conditions.
“There is simply no excuse for this behaviour. We should not need to point out the link between littering and the risk of wildfires, nor the dangers posed by using BBQs in the countryside, particularly during prolonged dry periods. Abandoned waste and food also pose a significant threat to wildlife and can have lasting impacts on these special landscapes,” she said.
“We urge visitors to leave only footprints, take all their litter home with them, and respect the places they come to enjoy. We are extremely grateful to our Wardens, who continue to go above and beyond to care for and protect the National Park.”
Steffan Edwards the warden who cleaned up the mess, told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast that it was a “shame to see all that rubbish discarded on the hill.”
“This isn’t new to us and it’s not new to other national parks and other beauty sites across Wales and the UK. But what we are finding is it’s an increasing problem over the last couple of years.
“People are finding out about these nice places and taking literally everything up with them, which you would take to a campsite and just leaving it there.”
