DAY trippers to a North Craven beauty spot are spoiling the area by leaving litter and blocking a narrow lane with their cars, say local landowners.

Chris Maudsley, of Knight Stainforth Caravan and Campsite, said the problem was spoiling the enjoyment of Stainforth Force for all.

"In general the problem is with day trippers and they aren't your normal people out for a Sunday walk in the countryside. They're absolute yobs," he said.

"They park on the double yellow lines, they leave litter, there's burnt patches of grass all over the place where they have had barbecues, they have no respect at all."

Both Mr Maudsley and at least one other local resident regularly pick up litter from the Force area and elsewhere around Stainforth.

"Last weekend I collected 19 big bin bags of litter from the Force. I don't mind collecting the rubbish because it's in the interests of my customers, but it then takes up a lot of room in the commercial bins that I pay a lot of money for Craven District Council to collect, and I object to that," said Mr Maudsley, who is a Stainforth parish councillor.

The mainly young day trippers often brought alcohol with them and were sometimes abusive to other visitors, he added.

Mr Maudsley would like the police to patrol and enforce the double yellow line system and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority or Craven District Council to provide a bin or arrange the disposal of the rubbish cleared up by locals.

"Give them a few tickets and they'll soon get the message and start parking elsewhere. On Sunday I phoned the police in the morning, but nobody turned up until 6.15pm when they had all gone," he said.

"In fairness it is not as bad now as it was before they put the lines down, but it is getting pretty bad."

A spokesman for North Yorkshire police said the force did not have the resources to constantly patrol parking in one street. Officers had discussed the issue with Mr Maudsley and felt it needed a long-term solution involving the highways authority, parish council and police.

"That is what the local police are trying to achieve," said the spokesman.

Meanwhile Stainforth Parish Council received a letter from national park area ranger Steve Hastie after contacting him about litter issues. He commended the residents for their efforts in collecting rubbish, but pointed out that the responsibility for disposing of it was with Craven District Council. He said the authority would monitor the situation in Stainforth car park, visit the Force and promote responsible disposal by visitors with the message to "take your litter home".