National Trust Formby: Charity urges beach visitors to be 'respectful'

Rubbish including a table and chairs was left on Formby beach at the weekend

A beauty spot could be closed to the public if it becomes overcrowded and visitors are not "respectful", the National Trust has said.

Police had to disperse gatherings at Formby at the weekend and large amounts of litter were left on the beach.

The car park at the beach, which was closed in lockdown, reopened on 13 May.

Acting general manager Jo Hudson said a number of "hotspots" were "developing at our places" which were putting "both visitors and local residents at risk".

A spokeswoman for the charity said the decision to reopen the car park at the popular site had been taken to "alleviate pressures on the local roads and the community".

She said despite the strict lockdown restrictions in recent months, the area had seen a "high volume of traffic", which was only likely to see a "further uplift" with the changes to the government advice.

Police seized a large amount of alcohol from people on the beach

Ms Hudson said "extremely" high volumes of visitors had put "significant pressure" on the charity, which had furloughed some of its staff due to the lockdown.

"During the easing of restrictions, we ask people to use good sense and be respectful of other communities when deciding to travel for their daily exercise.

"If National Trust Formby becomes overcrowded, we may need to make the decision to close [and] we advise members of the public not to visit immediately and visit us another time."

Sefton Council leader Ian Maher said the "state" in which visitors had "left certain parts of our coastline is simply an insult".

He said the authority was working with the charity and the police to lessen any issues, but the "real answer is people taking responsibility for their behaviour and showing some consideration for others".

Landscape photographer Dominic Darvell, who lives in nearby Crosby, said the state the beach had been left in was an "absolute disgrace" and "the worst it's ever been".

"It not only puts people at risk having to clear up other people's rubbish during the Covid-19 pandemic, but also affects the environment and wildlife," he said.

Photographer Dominic Darvell said the litter was the worst he had ever seen

Merseyside Police's Ch Insp Derek Riley said there had been extra patrols on the beach over the weekend and officers had attended reports of littering and "minor incidents of disorder".

Two of the area's MPs backed the call for greater respect.

Sefton Central's Bill Esterson, who tweeted a picture of a bag of rubbish he picked up on a walk on Sunday, said people who leave rubbish on beaches were "a disgrace", while Southport's Damien Moore urged people to "take any rubbish home with you".