Chairman’s plea over littering and vandalism at Hubbard’s Hills

Following an increase in littering and vandalism at the Louth beauty spot, the Hubbard’s Hills Trust is now making another plea for visitors to ‘do the right thing’ and treat the site with respect.

“We are a charity and cannot afford to employ someone full time to patrol the Hills”, Hubbard’s Hills Trust Chairman Andrew Leonard told The Leader.

“We have never had so many people visiting, and since lockdown was lifted we have welcomed thousands of visitors daily from all over Lincolnshire.

“But all this comes at a cost, and some weeks we have been so busy it has cost us over £1,000 in skips and rubbish collection alone.

“Visitors have been staying late into the evening and our contractor has not been able to clear up as he normally would, so litter collection has to be done early mornings instead. This has led to an increase in complaints, but unfortunately our hands are tied.”

Mr Leonard added that the Trust had to open up the toilet block earlier than public toilet facilities were opened at the beaches, after some visitors were found to be using the woodland instead – leaving ‘unpleasant surprises’ for other members of the public.

Mr Leonard added: “Hand sanitisers were stolen, and sadly the public failed to observe public decency and cleanliness in the toilets.”

He paid tribute to the cleansing team which has been looking after the Hills during the last few months.

“They have been faced with unprecedented demand and have had to deal with challenges we haven’t seen before and were very unpleasant.

“To make matters worse, some visitors have been very rude and unhelpful too.”

Mr Leonard has put out a plea for visitors to take their rubbish home and to remember to respect the environment.

He said: “Barbecues are burning the grass, water slides are killing the grass and children climbing the banks is not only extremely dangerous but is harming the tree roots. We want the Hills to be here for future generations to enjoy.

“But unless people work with us, I am afraid the future is far from rosy.”