Officers will patrol North Wales this weekend to stamp out antisocial behaviour.

Visitors to some of the areas’ most popular destinations will see an increased presence in warden patrols this weekend prompted by spikes of antisocial behaviour in recent weeks.

Natural Resources Wales officers will be out in force at Coed y Brenin, Newborough National Nature Reserve and Gwydir Forest Park as part of the body’s ongoing efforts to control littering and illegal camping at the sites.

While the majority of visitors leave no trace of their visit, some sites are seeing a significant increase in visitors who show little to no regard or respect for the areas they have come to enjoy.

Forest floors have become makeshift car parks and campsites, and litter and human waste has spilled into areas far beyond bins and designated toilet areas.

Dylan Williams, NRW operations manager in North Wales, said: “The easing of lockdown restrictions coupled with long periods of fine weather have prompted scores of people to put Wales’ renowned beauty spots at the top of their day trip and holiday destination lists this summer.

“Some of the extraordinary scenes of over-crowding, fly parking, illegal camping and littering we have seen across Wales over recent weeks have been shocking – especially to those that work tirelessly to ensure our sites can be enjoyed by people safely.

“The type of antisocial behaviour we are now seeing associated with this increase in visitor numbers is a widespread issue across Wales and is completely unacceptable.

“While we are delighted to welcome people back to our sites to relax and recharge the batteries, we must maintain a balance between the wishes of individuals to enjoy the outdoors and the responsibilities each and every one of us has to protect nature and to respect our local communities.”