Anti-social issues at lake 'intimidating' residents

High volumes of visitors have been seen at Needham Lakes recently with an increase in rubbish left behind

A resident has described a popular lake as "intimidating, unfriendly, filthy and dirty" following a reported rise in anti-social behaviour.

Needham Lake in Needham Market, Suffolk sees about 300,000 visitors a year with high numbers during warmer months.

Local resident Janice Lilley said in recent weeks the mess left behind by visitors was "unimaginable" and had been putting locals off visiting.

Tim Weller, cabinet member for environment, culture and wellbeing at Mid Suffolk District Council, said it was "upping its game" and thinking of new ways to address the issue.

'Very intimidating'

"It's been going on for about five or six years ," Ms Lilley explained.

"[People] come over to Needham Lake to use the barbecues and there's 200 to 300 of them.

"They leave a mess and it's very intimidating."

Suffolk Police said it received reports of a large gathering in the area on 5 May and attended to monitor the situation.

A spokesperson said the reports of anti-social behaviour were "disappointing" and the force would work with Mid-Suffolk District Council to ensure similar incidents did not happen again.

Ms Lilley, who runs a car boot from a nearby field, said she had found faeces as well as dirty nappies in the area.

"I have to clear it up before my car boot starts as it's not nice for anybody to see," she continued.

"It's also very scary for some old couples and there's no parking.

"Everybody is very upset this year and we're hoping to get it all sorted.

"You can't imagine it unless you see it."

Visitors have been encouraged to make use of the specific barbecue areas at Needham Lakes

On Monday, a large amount of rubbish could be seen at Needham Lakes following a high number of visitors on Sunday during warm weather.

Mr Weller admitted the area wasn't "looking its best" while speaking with the BBC.

"We are doing quite a lot to make this an environment people want to come to but today it isn't looking it's best," he said.

"I'm sure before I go home some of the colleagues at Mid Suffolk District Council will be here to pick up the [bin] sacks, remove those and to do the litter pick that's required for the small bits that are left."

Mr Weller visited the lakes on Sunday and said he could see that "everybody was happy".

"I came back later in the evening when there were still some people here but I didn't see any anti-social behaviour," he continued.

"But some people have seen and reported that."

Mr Weller encouraged visitors to report anti-social behaviour to the council while ensuring any crime was reported to the police.

He also encouraged visitors to follow the rules, tidy up after themselves and make use of the barbecue areas that have been provided.

Mr Weller said the "minority" were ruining Needham Lakes for the rest

When asked what the council was doing to tackle a reported issue of people defecating in the woods, Mr Weller said: "All we can do is encourage people to use the [toilet] facilities here."

Mr Weller said the authorities had not seen this issue but admitted it could be happening once the toilets shut at 20:00.

He added the council was considering opening the toilets later to tackle this.

"As a multi-agency team we're looking at how to make this environment better by looking at how we time our visits or keeping the facilities open later - these are all things that might help to improve the situation," he said.

"We're upping our game and we're thinking of ways of addressing these issues that popularity brings.

"It's the minority who are making it difficult for everyone else and spoiling it for everyone else."