Police chiefs call for total ban on fly-camping

The police chiefs have called for a blanket ban on illegal camping

Police chiefs have called for a complete ban on fly-camping across the Lake District.

David Allen, Cumbria Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, and Chief Constable David Martland have signed a joint letter to Westmorland and Furness Council's leader asking for the authority-wide ban to allow fly-camping to be tackled more effectively.

In the letter, the pair said the current individual public space protection orders (PSPOs) attached to certain hotspots serve to "shift the problem elsewhere".

The local authority is currently looking to expand existing PSPOs to tackle anti-social behaviour throughout the Lake District, but there is currently no blanket ban.

In the letter, the police chiefs said: "While individual PSPOs have been applied to certain hotspots, these only shift the problem elsewhere rather than tackling it effectively."

They said a county-wide order would allow for a more uniformed approach and give relevant authorities the mandate to tackle problems quickly.

'Useful tool'

Mr Allen told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that residents believe the current situation "cannot continue".

"What is clear is that we cannot and must not be in the same position this time next year and that's exactly why I have pulled partners together to ensure that we all deal with this more effectively and in a joined-up manner," he said.

In correspondence between Mr Allen and council leader Jonathan Brook, the latter agreed they needed to tackle the issue.

He also said PSPOs are a "very useful tool" to do this, but should be in conjunction with other "enforcement powers" and information campaigns.

Earlier this month, Brook said the council was open to imposing PSPOs around Ullswater, following in the footsteps of Windermere West Shore, Coniston Water East Shore and Blea Tarn.