Angry Lake District residents erect roadblocks and fake signs to deter tourists

National Park chief urges members of public not to rush into area during lockdown

Villagers erected a barricade in the village of Seathwaite (Triangle News)

Lake District residents have set up roadblocks and fake signs to discourage day-trippers from visiting during lockdown.

The chief executive of the National Park urged members of the public not to rush to the Lakes after Boris Johnson eased the UK’s coronavirus lockdown, allowing people unlimited travel to take exercise.

Some residents used traffic cones and barriers to erect fake road blocks, while others have put up “no entry” signs as a deterrent.

A sign near the town of Keswick says it is “still closed” and adds: “Please come back when we are open.”

Another in the village of Seathwaite says: “No entry due to coronavirus.”

It comes after the chief executive of the Lake District National Park, Richard Leafe, urged people not to rush back to the area last week.

“Our message would be don’t rush back to the Lake District,” he said on BBC Radio Four’s Today programme.

On whether the message is do not come, Mr Leafe said: “It is for the time being, yes. It is consider and respect the local communities in doing that.

“We are putting in place, for those people who insist on coming this weekend, a system whereby you can check to see how full the car parks in the Lake District are when you arrive so that you can go to one where hopefully there is a bit of space and you are able to get out.

“But my main point would be please don’t travel for the moment to the Lake District because of the impact you will have on the local communities here.”

Last week, a retired teacher and former parish councillor were spoken to by police after they admitted building blockades to stop cyclists biking through a woodland during the lockdown.

Wendy McLachlan and Anna Hacket-Pain, both 62, were filmed by 17-year-old Nathan Cartwright saying they had laid rocks and branches across the trail in the village of Preston-under-Scar in North Yorkshire after he was almost upended by them.

North Yorkshire Police confirmed they sent two uniformed officers to speak to Ms McLachlan and Ms Hacket-Pain.

The force warned it was dangerous to lay obstacles which could injure cyclists or damage their bikes.

It said the women could have faced criminal charges if anyone had been hurt by the obstructions.