'Overwhelmed' beach and forest locked down as visitors light up fires

A POPULAR beach and its forest were locked down after wardens became “overwhelmed” by visitors illegally starting fires and BBQs.

- By ANDREW FORGRAVE Countryside and Tourism Editor

An entry gate was closed for three hours at Newborough National Nature Reserve on Anglesey to safeguard both visitors and wildlife.

Traeth Llanddwyn beach, often rated one of the best in Wales, was packed at the weekend as temperatures soared. On Saturday (August 16), the Met Office said Porthmadog in Gwynedd - 18 miles further south - was the warmest place in Britain (17.4C) and the fine weather sent people flocking to the Welsh coast.

Due to the serious implications of a blaze at the 2,500-acre forest, a reserve-wide ban on BBQs and open fires is in place. With conditions there currently bone-dry, the risks have magnified and ahead of the weekend visitors were reminded of the ban by site manager Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

Wild camping is also prohibited but this is routinely ignored, with issues escalating this summer. NRW wardens do their best to tackle the twin menace but on Saturday afternoon things began getting out of hand.

Local resident Cathy Sands, who runs a Llanddwyn appreciation group on Facebook, was horrified by what she saw. "From 3pm, people were starting to pitch tents on the beach and light BBQs," she said. "Not wind breaks, proper tents.