VISITORS who flout the rules at two popular beauty spots could find themselves in trouble with the law this summer.

A four-strong partnership has warned it is determined to stamp out damage and nuisance caused by anti-social and inconsiderate behaviour at Cod Beck reservoir and Scarth Wood Moor, near Osmotherley.

Lying on the edge of the North York Moors National Park, both are popular picnic spots, particularly among Teessiders from Middlesbrough.

But so many flock there that the three National Trust car parks at the north end of the reservoir struggle to cope.

It has resulted in more and more vehicles being parked illegally on other grassed areas and verges along the narrow road.

The problem was so bad last year that parking tickets issued at Cod Beck accounted for 75pc of all those issued throughout the entire Hambleton District Council area.

"However, people still insist on flouting the law by parking on the roadside and grass verges around the beauty spot," said Sgt Matt France, community safety officer.

"It is an offence and we will be taking action.

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

"Picking up a fine can make a walk in the countryside a very expensive day out."

Extra police patrols will be mounted this year to enforce the clearway order on the road through the area.

Yorkshire Water has also re-issued its warning not to swim in the reservoir.

Last year a teenager drowned while trying to cross from one bank to the other.

"It may look enticing but cold water can be lethal," said Geoff Lomas, Yorkshire Water's catchment and recreation manager.

"It doesn't matter how good a swimmer you are, it doesn't take long for the cold to slow you down and, by the time you realise you are in trouble, it is often too late.

"Jumping into a reservoir may be bravado or it may be a genuine desire to cool down - but it may also be the last thing you ever do. It's just not worth the risk."

Mr Lomas also condemned illegal campers and those who lit barbecues.

Camping is not allowed along the banks of the stream which flows into the reservoir, or in the woods, but there have been up to a dozen tents at a time on some warm summer evenings.

More and more charred rings appeared from people setting up barbecues, sometimes fuelled with wood they had scavenged.

Mr Lomas said Cod Beck simply could not go on coping with illegal and thoughtless behaviour.

"At a recent meeting between the agencies which 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," he said.

"All of us have a part to play and, this year, we are hoping to 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."

Apart from Yorkshire Water and the police, the National Trust and North York Moors National Park are in the partnership.

As a temporary measure, trees which were felled by January's storm force winds in the woods owned by Yorkshire Water have been donated to the National Trust which has used them to mark out the boundaries of the three car parks.

The national park provided the machinery to put them in place. It is hoped the logs will stop motorists straying on to the grass and deter others from using the car parks as skidpans.

"This is only a temporary measure to alleviate car parking pressure for the coming season," Zoe Frank of the National Trust stressed.

"We are still working on a more permanent solution in conjunction with the national park, Yorkshire Water and other agencies."