Lake damage investigation closed by police

The National Trust said the cost of cleaning the area was in the region of £1,000

An investigation into a trail of destruction left by campers at a Lake District beauty spot has been closed by police, with no arrests made.

Discarded camping equipment, mattresses and clothing on the shores of Buttermere left the National Trust with a clean-up bill in the region of £1,000 earlier this year.

An axe was also found having been used to chop nearby trees and several fires had burned patches of ground.

The conservation charity passed a number of online posts and videos to Cumbria Police, believed to involve the suspects, but the force said it had "exhausted" all lines of enquiry.

Potential offences had included criminal damage and fly-tipping, as well as heritage crime as the Lake District is a designated Unesco World Heritage Site.

'No further action'

The damage was spotted by a park ranger on 2 July, with the clean-up taking two days and needing the hire of a skip.

Cumbria Police said: "All available lines of enquiry have been exhausted and the investigation is complete.

"The evidence collated was reviewed and it did not meet the threshold for prosecution.

"Therefore, this case was closed with no further action."

The trust said it would continue working with police and other groups "to help tackle issues of poor behaviour in the outdoors", adding it was "hopeful that combining our efforts will yield better results".

The organisation has urged people to use established campsites rather than take part in what is known as fly-camping, which is illegal.

It also regularly reminds visitors to follow the Countryside Code, not to light fires or barbecues and to "leave no trace" by clearing up after themselves.