A BEAUTY spot near Grassington is being spoilt by vandals who are visiting the area and leaving behind them, damage, debris and filth.

Low Grass Wood, between Conistone and Grassington borders the river Wharfe and is a popular haunt for campers, albeit without the permission of the Woodland Trust which owns it.

Some of the people who go there are said to be genuine walkers just enjoying the scenery and others using it as somewhere to pitch their tent for the night before moving on.

However, there is apparently an element of visitors who have other intentions and are causing the locality to become a health hazard.

Roger Wigglesworth, a river warden for Grassington Angling Club, is becoming increasingly upset with what he sees as he patrols the stretch of river near the wood.

"This has been going on for two or three years now. People are pitching tents in the wood, lighting fires out of whatever they can get their hands on, even cutting down small trees. At one time someone actually smashed up a five barred gate and used that to make a camp fire!

"Then there is the litter: half-eaten food, waste paper, broken glass, beer bottles and, worse still, human excrement - after all there are no toilets in the wood," said a disgusted Mr Wigglesworth.

"There has always been a problem with poachers in the area, and I've no doubt that this is what some of the people are up to. It's not just the fact I'm river warden that I'm complaining, I'm thinking of the wildlife in the area which is suffering. Deer visit the wood and there are also lesser spotted and greater spotted woodpeckers which nest in the area. It's being spoilt for the genuine, caring visitor.

"One particular occasion when I was there I saw two young men packing up their belongings. They produced a black bin liner and collected all the litter they had created.

"When I thanked them they told me of an occasion in the past when a night's camping had cost them a new groundsheet and new sleeping bags."

Apparently it was dark when they set up and hadn't noticed a pile of broken glass which ripped their equipment, he explained.

Mr Wigglesworth recalled another time a few weeks ago when he was in the area. The whole of the bottom end of the wood was lit up with bonfires. Describing it as "the night before Agincourt" he could not get over the fact that as well as several adults, there were several children, the eldest being no more than 15 years' old, staggering around "blind-drunk", the place scattered with empty vodka bottles and beer cans.

"I've telephoned the area representative for the Woodland Trust on dozens of occasions but they seem to be doing nothing about the problem. They replaced the gate when the other one was used as firewood but that is about all.

Many other local folk feel the same way. James and Wendy Birdsall have also tried to get the situation sorted out.

"The area is such a health hazard, what with all the waste food, broken glass and human waste that I won't even let my dogs go anywhere near the place. It's absolutely disgusting and a disgrace to the area we live in," said Mrs Birdsall.

Her husband, James, who is secretary of the Anglers' club, has also left messages on the answerphone at the Woodland Trust offiice, but to no avail.

They both feel desperately worried for the wildlife in the area saying that both roe and fallow deer herds regular visit in the wood and drink from the river.

"If one of them gets cut or injured, there is no-one who can do anything to help it," added Mrs Birdsall.

"Things were much different when the area was owned by the Chatsworth Estate before it was sold around 10 years ago. Then the wood was looked after beautifully.

"There was never anything like this going on. The top end of Grass Wood across the road is owned by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and that is cared for by Tom Chalmers who does a lot of work to keep it looking lovely. It's a totally different story at the bottom end and something needs to be done," said Mrs Birdsall.

Mrs Birdsall has also seen bare areas where wild spotted orchids have been dug out of the ground, no doubt destined for a garden somewhere.

"It's so sad," she said. "It's not as if the orchids are going to survive in a garden. They should leave things alone."

The Herald has also tried to contact the Woodland Trust for their comments but there was no reply.

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