Rangers to patrol Yorkshire Water sites this spring and summer to prevent littering, bad parking and poor behaviour

After a summer in which Yorkshire Water's reservoirs faced unprecedented pressures from visitors, a number of rangers will patrol the sites this season to prevent a repeat of 2020's incidents.
Cod Beck ReservoirCod Beck Reservoir
Cod Beck Reservoir

The three new rangers, all of whom are women, have been appointed as part of a partnership with the National Trust to better manage Yorkshire Water s land portfolio, which includes numerous reservoirs around the region.

They will tackle issues such as littering, inconsiderate parking, fire safety and general visitor behaviour, and also perform maintenance tasks.

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Although most reservoirs welcome visitors throughout the year, the numbers of people they attract are usually manageable and the provision of facilities such as parking and toilets varies between sites.

The three new rangersThe three new rangers
The three new rangers

Yet in the lockdown spring and summer of 2020, many of these bodies of open water were inundated with people, some of whom behaved irresponsibly.

During a heatwave last May, two fires caused by unattended disposable barbecues broke out at Yorkshire Water reservoirs Cod Beck, in the North York Moors, and Digley, near Holmfirth.

In the same month a large number of drivers from the Teesside area were fined for illegal parking along a road near Cod Beck while the car park was closed.

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Partnership manager Ted Talbot said: “We are really excited to be working closely together on how we can better manage our land to benefit both people and nature. The pandemic has shown just how much communities need the countryside on their doorstep and the land around Yorkshire Water’s reservoirs has played a big part in many people’s family time outdoors.”