VISITORS to a beauty spot are being urged to respect it and take their litter home.

Cod Beck Reservoir, near Osmotherley, welcomes thousands of people every week to take in the scenery, enjoy a walk in the country or a family picnic.

But with that comes bags of rubbish, illegal camping and traffic chaos.

Now community safety officers are determined to stamp out the problems and keep the beauty spot beautiful.

Since a clearway order was placed on two miles of the road running alongside Cod Beck last year - banning parking on either side of the road and on the grass verges - officers have been placing extra patrols at the site.

Visitors who do not use the designated car parks now risk a £30 fine, a move to keep traffic - especially emergency vehicles - flowing around the area. And while logs placed around the car parks have prevented campers from getting near their campsites it has not deterred camping.

During the bank holiday earlier this month officers had to deal with several cases of illegal campsites and collected bags of rubbish once the holiday weekend was over.

Hambleton Community Safety Partnership chairman Rosemary Taylor said a few people were making Cod Beck into an eyesore and urged visitors to keep to the rules and leave the area clean and tidy.