Temperatures rise over 'highest beach in England' sun seekers

The sizzling bank holiday weather attracted hundreds of people to the beach, but also brought chaos to the area, with roads blocked off and litter strewn around.

Todmorden Town Councillor Janet Battye said: “The traffic was at a standstill. Everyone seemed to have come in their cars, so they park up, walk up to the dam, walk back and then drive off.

“We welcome visitors but we’d like them to contribute to the area. They seem to expect to use the toilets at our local pubs for free, and to receive water for free, which isn’t fair.

“We had a meeting with the council and asked for designated passing places so that traffic could get through, as well as more litter bins and bags.

“The traffic was so bad that the buses had to stop because they couldn’t get through. But those buses are the only way some local people can get about.

“We need Calderdale Council’s help to make it more liveable. But they don’t seem to have taken any notice of how serious the problem is.”

Calderdale Council’s cabinet member for communities and neighbourhood services, Coun Susan Press, said: “We are aware of the issues and we ask all those enjoying this site to behave responsibly.

“The problems with parking and the waste left behind is unacceptable and we’re looking at ways to deal with this, including emptying bins more frequently.

“Parking is severely limited and we ask all visitors to use public transport wherever possible.

“We are investigating the feasibility of providing signage or parking restrictions.

“We will do everything in our power to improve the situation.”