Mounted volunteers to be community 'eyes and ears'
Cumbria PolicePolice volunteers on horseback are aiming to be community "eyes and ears" as a crackdown on illegal camping in and around the Lake District continues.
Littering, abandoned equipment and anti-social behaviour have repeatedly been highlighted over the past few months with Westmorland and Furness Council recently expanding its powers to issue fines in an effort to deter troublemakers.
Alongside, Cumbria Police is using 10 mounted support volunteers to get key Countryside Code messages across to visitors.
Amanda Wallace, who rides 10-year-old Murphy, said the use of the animals often helped "break down barriers" when explaining what was allowed.
"There are significant problems with people leaving litter behind or starting fires and chopping trees down," she said. "We also see social media posts about tents etc being left behind.
"People who visit should leave no trace and this is another tool to help get that message out there.
"Although [as volunteers] we don't have any enforcement powers, we can furnish people with the information and advise them about what's right and wrong, and what could happen if they do X, Y or Z.
"We're the eyes and ears of the community."
She said the volunteers, who owned their horses, could report criminal behaviour to police or incidents such as fly-tipping or abandoned vehicles to the relevant councils.
'Murphy is an ice-breaker'
Wallace has been a mounted support volunteer for two years, having owned Murphy for the last six.
With an equestrian background, she saw the role as "an opportunity to be part of the community".
While some anti-social behaviour is a result of people openly flouting regulations, Wallace believes other instances result from "uncertainty about what is or isn't allowed".
She said she recently spoke to a family staying by a lakeshore who "hadn't been aware of any rules or regulations".
"Hopefully we can push the message out. We're never going to stop it [completely], but I think we can make things better.
"Having Murphy there is a real ice-breaker. He will stand and let kids stroke him and pat him, and then you can have those open conversations with people.
"If we can use our volunteer sector to help educate and chat, and break down those barriers, it's really helpful and that's the plan this summer."
