Alcohol and barbecues to be permanently banned at Richmond Falls

Trouble broke out at Richmond Falls on the River Swale on the Bank Holiday weekend, when groups of youths, many of whom were believed to have travelled from Teesside, gathered at the waterfalls to drink and inhale 'laughing gas'.

Two men were arrested and there were large amounts of litter left behind, including drugs paraphernalia, that had to be collected by volunteers.

Despite patrols by police, stewards and Royal Military Police officers from Catterick Garrison last weekend, there were repeats of the parties during more warm weather and a number of tickets were issued for parking offences.

Now an urgent summit has been held involving the police, county council and Richmondshire Council to discuss long-term solutions to the issues.

Videos and photos of the parties shared on social media are thought to have contributed to the spot's popularity with young people.

CCTV cameras will be installed at the Falls and alcohol and barbecue bans are likely to be introduced.

Richmondshire Council's deputy leader Coun Helen Grant said: “A minority are spoiling it for the majority and we must take action. That will involve banning alcohol and the cooking of food and deploying cameras to record activity there. And we will look at the options to actively intervene during the forthcoming August Bank Holiday.

“We will not tolerate the behaviour we saw from these groups of people - we are working to protect our beauty spot for local residents and visitors who want to treat it with respect, not as a party spot.”

A residents' parking permit scheme could also be enforced around Sleegill, Bridge Terrace and The Green to deter visitors from outside Richmond.

Richmond Falls was not the only Yorkshire beauty spot to suffer from anti-social behaviour and littering after large groups of youths threw illegal 'lockdown parties' during the warmest May on record.

Thomason Foss in the North York Moors National Park was another trouble spot, with around 200 youths being dispersed last weekend. A 36-year-old man was injured and had to be airlifted to hospital after he jumped off the waterfalls, and there was extensive littering and 'fouling' at the pools, as well as irresponsible use of disposable barbecues, which posed a fire risk.

The River Wharfe beaches in Ilkley were affected by anti-social behaviour, as was Burnsall in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

And Threshfield Quarry, near Grassington, has been drained after social media users posted images of its 'blue lagoon' lake, leading to large groups of youths from as far afield as Blackpool travelling to the disused limestone quarry to swim and party.