Break-ins, parties, poo and abandoned knickers: The aftermath of Bank Holiday in Yorkshire's National Parks

Several shocking instances of anti-social behaviour in the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors have come to light following a three-day weekend in which large crowds gathered at beauty spots to enjoy the sun.

Although lockdown rules have been relaxed to allow individuals and households to travel for exercise, congregating in groups is still forbidden and both National Parks continue to discourage visitors, as do Yorkshire's seaside towns. Many car parks and public toilets remain shut.

Incidents over the weekend include:-

- A gathering of around 100 youths at Richmond Falls on the River Swale. Large amounts of litter were left behind and had to be cleared up by volunteers.

- A significant amount of poor behaviour in Goathland in the North York Moors. The community hub was broken into to gain access to the disabled toilets, a bus stop, gardens and the churchyard were used as toilets and detritus including nappies and even underwear was left at Thomason Foss waterfalls.

- Award-winning garden designer Chris Myers found that visitors had defecated and left soiled wet wipes outside his home in Gargrave, near Skipton.

- A large group of bikers congregated in Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales, ignoring social distancing guidelines.

- North Yorkshire Police caught large numbers of drivers and bikers speeding, with some reaching over 100mph. Hotspots included the road between Settle and Ribblehead in the Dales and the A64 to the coast.

Chaos in Goathland

Residents of Goathland - the North York Moors village famous as the filming location of the long-running TV drama Heartbeat - were shocked when large groups of people turned up over the weekend. Around 50 of them gathered at Thomason Foss to drink and smoke cannabis with picnics and even inflatables, and locals have cleared up to 40 bags of rubbish from the area. Broken glass, nappies and even thongs were discovered at the spot.

The village's car park was closed but visitors ignored the barriers and drove over grass verges to gain access to the spaces.

The worst of the damage was suffered by the local community centre. Volunteers Tweeted:- "Thanks to the people who broke the door down to get into the disabled toilets, to whoever it was who used the bus shelter as a toilet, to those who used the churchyard and people’s gardens and all of you who have left bags, bottles, tins, nappies, knickers etc at Thomason Foss."

The North York Moors National Park Authority also released a statement about the incident and sent rangers to the scene to monitor the situation.

"Following ranger patrols, we were extremely disappointed to find large amounts of rubbish at Thomason Foss near Goathland over the Bank Holiday weekend, as well as damage to the lock of one of our toilets.

"The local community has shown tremendous spirit and has since rallied together to help clean this up, as well as other rubbish found in the village. Our rangers were also out speaking to residents, engaging with visitors and trying to encourage responsible behaviour. They will continue to monitor the area for damage and to pick litter.

"Since restrictions on travel have been eased, we have been very clear that people should either avoid busy hotspots or continue to exercise close to their own homes. Goathland and Beck Hole have proved very popular so we would urge people to go elsewhere. We have issued a whole range of guidance to support this via our website and have listed alternative/quieter car parks people can use.

"If you have to travel to the North York Moors, you must respect local communities and remember that the majority of facilities, including toilets, are currently closed. Many of our toilets, including at Goathland, will remain closed for a little while longer while we ensure appropriate safety procedures are in place before they re-open.

"We are planning to re-open more car parks and toilets over the coming weeks subject to government guidance and ensuring the safety of our staff. Until then none of our car parks should be misused, nor should people ignore closures. These have been put in place to prevent locations becoming overwhelmed, protect local communities and to help maintain social distancing.

"The Authority, like many local communities, is eager to welcome people back, but never is litter or damage to public property acceptable. Please act responsibly and show respect for our National Park which belongs to us all and for the communities who live there."

Partying on the River Swale

Photos shared on social media show around 100 young people in swimwear gathered at Richmond Falls on the River Swale to drink.

The group - who circulated video clips of their antics on sites such as Instagram and Snapchat - were thought to be from the Teesside area, with one partygoer believed to be a trainee midwife.

One witness Tweeted that 'they were acting like it was Ibiza, not Richmond. It's the River Swale, not Ocean Beach Club.'

Police attended the scene and issued a fixed penalty notice for disorder. A 30-year-old man from the Newcastle area and a 29-year-old man from Catterick Garrison were both arrested.

A local police officer posted images of the aftermath of the party that showed beer bottles, drug paraphernalia and nitrous oxide balloons that had been left behind.

Sergeant Nadine Slattery said: "This was how the beautiful River Swale Falls, Richmond was left yesterday by ‘visitors’. Absolutely disgusting. This HAS to stop Thankfully a group of local volunteers including incredible teenagers cleaned it all up before dark."

A farm used as a toilet

Award-winning RHS garden designer Chris Myers was shocked to discover that tourists had defecated outside his off-grid hill farm near Skipton.

He Tweeted: "Highlight of my day - discovering that someone had a poo by one of the gateposts. OK, so folk may need to take a feral dump from time to time; but leaving a dozen or more poo-stained wet wipes to blow around the countryside is out of order. Chased down and binned. You’re welcome."