Does a tourist tax hurt or help the Lake District?

Britain's stunning visitor attraction is under siege from growing traffic, pollution and antisocial behaviour. But campaigners and locals are at odds over how to stem the unwelcome overflow

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But Michael Hill, chief executive of Friends of the Lake District, says that while there is “definitely some irresponsible behaviour”, it is the “very scale of the visits” that has the most impact, rather than a minority of badly behaved tourists.

During peak summer season, he says that “you're much more likely to spend hours in a traffic jam than to get anywhere quickly in that area”.

Shockingly, millions of litres of untreated sewage have also been dumped into the iconic Lake Windermere over the past few years, causing blooms of harmful blue-green algae, as reported by the Express.

“The problem is the wastewater infrastructure was designed for the resident population of that area,” explains Mr Hill.

“At this time of year, the number of people who are emitting effluent in this catchment is many, many times more than the number of residents.”

Between 2020 and 2023, a single pumping station dumped 140 million litres of raw sewage into the lake, according to one BBC investigation. Further analysis reported there were 140 days last year when sewage was spilt illegally.

But Mr Hill adds: “It’s not just the untreated sewage that causes the problem, although that is disgusting.

“Even the treated sewage has high levels of phosphates and other chemicals, which leads to problems in the lake.”

Elsewhere, he warns that “communities are being hollowed out”, explaining: “Housing is under great pressure for local residents because it’s so attractive to buy holiday homes and second homes and put them on Airbnb in places like Bowness.”

THIS has created “impossible” conditions for locals to buy homes, with some businesses now closing for part of the year as they are struggling to find workers. “We need as many people to come here and enjoy it as possible, but it needs to be done in a way that respects the area and landscape,” Mr Hill states.