A CAMPAIGN has been launched to stop inconsiderate visitors from damaging a moors beauty spot.

Cod Beck Reservoir and Scarth Wood Moor, near Osmotherley, are well-known picnic areas.

But their popularity among day trippers and campers has caused problems.

Cars often park on grass verges, blocking the narrow road, and, during the summer, many camp in the valley illegally.

More and more charred rings are appearing in the grass as people light fires for barbecues, sometimes fuelled with logs and sticks taken from the surrounding woods.

Yorkshire Water, which owns the reservoir, has now joined forces with the National Trust, the North York Moors National Park Authority and North Yorkshire Police to try to protect the area.

Geoff Lomas, catchment and recreation manager for Yorkshire Water, said: "Cod Beck simply cannot sustain this sort of behaviour forever, and, at a recent meeting between the agencies that have a stake in the area, it was decided it was time to take further action to protect the environmental integrity and beauty of the site.

"All of us have a part to play and we are hoping that, this year, we can appeal to the better nature of those who behave in an anti-social manner or ignore the rules, which, after all, are there for their own safety and to protect Cod Beck for future generations."

Trees felled by storm force winds in January have been used to mark the boundaries of the three car parks at the site and it is hoped the logs will stop drivers from straying on to the grass.

Increased police patrols will also be mounted in the area to stop people parking on the roadside.

Community safety officer, Sergeant Matt France said: "Last year, parking tickets issued at Cod Beck accounted for 75 per cent of all those issued across the entire Hambleton district.

"We have had instances where the emergency services, agricultural vehicles and buses have not been able to get through because of illegal parking."

Yorkshire Water has also reiterated a warning that visitors should not swim in the reservoir. Last summer, a 17-year-old drowned after trying to cross from one bank to the other.