I HAVE been visiting Neigh Bridge Lake in Somerford Keynes for many years. It is a place of beauty and peace, with wild life and nature. I often walk there or cycle.

Many of my friends and family also enjoy the lake. The majority of those of us who visit, respect the site, and take litter away with us, keep dog on leads, clear up dog mess.

I would like to draw your attention to the utter disrespect that visitors have been showing it recently. During the hot weather, and especially Saturday and Sunday just passed, people were camping there overnight.

They were letting their dogs run free. By afternoon, there was a large amount of dog excrement all around the lake and grass area where children play and people picnic.

There was a sea of litter and beer cans. A huge ghetto blaster was blaring out for Saturday and Sunday, with an utter disregard for those around. Today the grass was burnt from several fires people had lit. This evening, freezer bags, and old camping mat, nappy bags and other debris was strewn and left by the river and lake.

Most weekends there are heaps of beer cans left around the lake by teenagers. I have found human excrement by the bushes, nappies, food waste and plastic. I am aware that many people visiting are an overspill from Keynes County Park, as they have not been able to gain access due to sheer volume of visitors.

I feel that if this volume of people is going to use Neigh Bridge, then the rules that are there as one enters, on the signs, need to be adhered to and overseen.

The signs clearly ask people to keep dogs on leads. I also feel if the volume of people now using it is not managed in some way, then the site will become overwhelmed with litter, dog and human excrement and more. The rules should be properly enforced, with heavy penalties if broken. It is not fair that a minority of people show disrespect to the lovely lake and surrounding area.

I also feel that if such a large volume of people are now flooding into Neigh Bridge, then it either needs facilities such as proper toilets, hand washing facilities, baby changing facilities, disabled toilets, more dog bins. If it continues as it is, people will just keep visiting it and abusing it. I have a few ideas that might be a good start;

• More litter bins and dog bins, as I think the teenagers leave BBQ and beer cans as there are very few bins.

• Large signs warning of penalties for littering and dog fouling, with a hot line to report problems to.

• A warden to visit it during busy times to see what is going on and to stop the growing number of people camping there overnight and not clearing up after themselves.

• Consider a means of reducing the volume of visitors, as unlike Keynes Country Park, Neighbridge just does not have the facilities to cope with this volume of visitors. Perhaps an annual membership for locals, who can then use the car park if they punch their membership details in.

• I think there needs to be parking restriction on road just outside the lake, so that people are prevented from coming in free, then trashing the place.

• I hope that the matters I have raised can be discussed and some positive action considered.

With thanks and best wishes,

Kate Lawlor

Kemble