Dog poop hangs from the trees, a garbage bag full of human feces and diapers litter the ground.
It’s almost hard to believe that these are all things that visitors have left behind in the picturesque rolling hills of the Lake District.
Unfortunately, however, that is the reality that a team of volunteer waste pickers based at the popular beauty spot are currently dealing with.
The online group, called ‘The Keswick Binfluencers’, has amassed more than 650 members Facebooksince Annie Garforth, 51, started the campaign in June 2025.
‘As a resident I was tired of taking our dogs into the lake most days of the season and seeing all the litter and fly camping tents lining the lake shore and leaving the campfires and barbecues behind,’ Ms Garforth told the Daily Mail.
“Many of the fly campers left the entire set of tents, equipment, food and just left it behind. So I thought I’d start a little Facebook group just to bitch and nag with other locals, but then it took off and ended up being a full-blown campaign.”
The group is based in Keswick and now consists of a mix of locals and visitors. The members go out individually and tell what they have seen, clean up along the way, or organize trips in small groups.
Keswick Binfluencer Annie Garforth launched the online community on Facebook last summer
The group, which has more than 650 members, aims to raise awareness about littering and fly camping in Keswick
Litter and fly camping are the ‘two biggest problems’ in the area, according to Ms Garforth, who reveals: ‘The worst thing about litter is dog poop bags. We just don’t understand it.
‘People take the time to pack it, but then leave the bags hanging on the trees as Christmas decorations. You wrapped it up. Why can’t you take it to a bin?’
The group hopes to make visitors aware that they should only leave their footprints behind. “So even any waste you create during your visit, you take home with you at the end of the day,” she adds.
Of the most shocking things Mrs. Garforth discovered along the way, she says: “A full white garbage bag, full of human waste.”
The volunteer continues, “Someone had carried a rattan lawn chair all the way to the shore where they were camping. But they made a hole in the seat so they could use it when they wanted to go to the toilet.
“But they didn’t put a bucket or anything under it, it just went straight into the lake.”
Diapers and used sanitary products are among the other “despicable” items the group found. They pack the items and leave them at the municipality for collection, after informing the local government.
The group discovered all kinds of things while exploring the Lake District beauty spot
One of the most shocking things the Keswick Binfluencers have found is ‘a full white garbage bag, full of human waste’
Ms Garforth does not think the littering is done ‘out of malice’, but believes it is due to a lack of education. Therefore, she believes that the rural code should be taught in schools.
“People don’t realize they come from towns and cities where litter is just part of the everyday things they pass by,” she says.
“They don’t understand the damage it does, especially in rural areas and to wildlife and things like that.
“They just drop it like they’re in a city where street sweepers will clean everything up. We’ve heard people say to the kids, ‘Oh, just drop it there. It keeps someone working.”
The Keswick local says the area has ‘reached and passed visitor saturation point’, explaining how roads are being blocked by the sheer volume of tourists, causing problems for emergency vehicles and buses trying to get through.
She believes that despite tourism figures showing a decline in visitor numbers, the number of fly campers and day trippers has ‘increased enormously’.
Ms Garforth argues that ‘social media has a lot to offer’, especially as venues go viral and attract a lot of people. She says, “They don’t care what they do after they get that photo.”
According to Cumbria Tourism, visitor numbers to the entire Lake District National Park area totaled 17.45 million in 2025, a decrease of 1.5 per cent on the previous year.
Ms Garforth says problems such as a lack of local funding and ‘overstretched’ policing are not helping. She adds, “We just don’t have the infrastructure to accommodate that many visitors.”
Litter and fly camping are the ‘two biggest problems’ in the area, according to Ms Garforth, who adds that dog waste bags are a problem
Ms Garforth said Keswick City Council is a “strong supporter” of the Binfluencer group. Other local authorities, such as Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council, have also introduced measures to help improve the situation, such as further patrols and Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs).
Cumberland Council is actively promoting its ‘Leave No Trace’. Respect Cumberland’s campaign.
The municipality has been in contact with 100 people and has arrested several people who were camping inappropriately.
In the past two weeks alone, ten campsites in the area have been removed and two fines have been issued.
A spokesperson for Cumberland Council said: ‘Cumberland’s landscapes and beauty spots are among our greatest assets, enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. The majority of people treat these places with care and respect, and we want to encourage everyone to do the same.
‘While education and engagement remain our preferred approach, we will not hesitate to take enforcement action where advice is ignored and there is clear evidence of anti-social behavior or damage to the environment.
‘Our message is simple: enjoy Cumberland responsibly, respect local communities and wildlife and leave no trace. If people don’t do that, there will be consequences.”
“We love visitors because the Lake District lives off tourism, that’s its biggest income and many people’s jobs here depend on tourism,” Ms Garforth points out.
‘But please just respect the area and respect the locals. We have to live and work here, but don’t make life difficult and take good care of the environment.’
A spokesperson for Keswick Council told the Daily Mail: ‘Keswick is in a very privileged position and is loved by visitors from all over the world.
‘The National Parks were set up to provide open access to the countryside, but the concept of ‘open access land’ appears to have changed over time. We see more and more people coming who feel they have the right to pitch their tents in an open space and make campfires, even though this is prohibited by the landowners.
‘The Unitary Authority, National Park Authority and National Trust, which together own most of the open land, are working hard to educate the public and encourage people to set up camp where they shouldn’t, but it’s a Sisyphean task when it’s different visitors every week in more than 900 square kilometers of national parkland.’
Cumberland Council is actively promoting its ‘Leave No Trace’. Respect Cumberland’s campaign
They added: ‘Cumbria is a rural county with a small population, which means less income for councils, high council tax rates and low police numbers, because we are staffed based on local population, rather than the number of people who enjoy our city, both as night and day visitors.
‘This means that councils must prioritize their statutory duties, and finding funding for enforcement officers to monitor the public space protection orders that had to be issued to protect the area naturally becomes a lower priority.
‘The city prides itself on welcoming visitors, bringing people back year after year to enjoy both the scenery and thriving independent hospitality businesses, but we are experiencing more challenges with people’s expectations of how they want to experience the outdoors.’
Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, David Allen, told the Daily Mail: ‘The Keswick Binfluencers and partner organizations across the country are doing a fantastic job keeping Keswick and the wider county tidy, safe and welcoming, so everyone can enjoy all that the Lake District and Cumbria have to offer.
‘The majority of our visitors treat the province with respect and do not cause any problems, which is greatly appreciated. However, some of our visitors leave a mess behind, damage the countryside and expect others to clean up after them. If left unchecked, this will destroy a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most beautiful provinces in the country.
Visitor numbers in the entire Lake District National Park area totaled 17.45 million in 2025, down 1.5 percent on the previous year
“I work with other agencies, including the unitary authorities, who are responsible for public space protection orders, and particularly this year we have increased outreach, increased joint patrolling and increased enforcement activity.
“Cumbria Police do a fantastic job keeping our streets safe, but they are finite in numbers and cover a huge geographical area.”
Mr Allen added: ‘The police and other agencies are doing what they can to keep everyone safe, tackling crime and supporting victims, and doing it well.
‘Police and municipal enforcement officers do what they can with the resources they have, but it is everyone’s responsibility to treat our National Park, our city, villages and nature with respect.
“Education is one of the most important tools we can use for anyone who visits, and we’ve done a lot of that this past year. We want everyone to enjoy what Cumbria has to offer, but we want everyone to clean up after themselves, leave no traces and also park responsibly.
‘The majority of roads in Cumbria are rural and narrow. Cars, vans etc. cannot be parked on the sideline, meaning rural buses and emergency vehicles cannot pass through.
“I urge anyone visiting our province to respect the area you are visiting. Be attentive and if you see someone breaking the rules and/or laws, report it to the police or municipality with as much information as possible. Together we can keep Cumbria safe and beautiful for everyone and for generations to come.”
Suzy Hankin, eastern ranger for the Lake District National Park Authority, told the Daily Mail: ‘During the peak season, the National Park Authority continues to work with partners in Cumbria’s Strategic Visitor Management Group (SVMG), including the police, landowners and local councils, to engage with and educate fly campers and irresponsible parkers through regular patrols.
‘Along with our rangers, we also have a small number of dedicated positions who interact face-to-face with visitors to educate those who are visiting the Lake District irresponsibly, and unfortunately also to clear up litter left by fly campers.’
