Litter louts blight stones beauty spot

A RENOWNED beauty spot is being blighted by visitors leaving their rubbish behind when they head home - including dirty nappies.

- By Adam Toms

Dovedale, a picturesque valley in the Peak District managed by the National Trust, is famed for its stepping stones and attracts more than a million visitors every year.

But the limestone ravine that straddles the Derbyshire and Staffordshire border has seen an alarming rise in the amount of litter being left behind and it is now posing a risk to wildlife.

The trust has been tracking and calculating the average number of bin bags picked up in the area.

When the pandemic hit in 2020 and staycations were at their height, 4.6 bags of rubbish were being collected every day. By 2023, that figure had fallen to 1.04 but it has started creeping back up to 1.52 in 2024 and 1.92 this year.

So site managers are encouraging visitors to keep Dovedale looking its best by handing out bags to visitors as they arrive.