Lake District calls for visitors to be charged as UK national parks 'pushed to breaking point'

People visiting the Lake District should have to pay a levy to drive or stay overnight in England's largest national park, a new report has proposed.

The Friends of the Lake District have claimed that visitors to the UNESCO World Heritage Site are creating an 'invisible burden' on the region and that a tax should be introduced to tackle the issues tourists cause.

The group mentions the 'hollowing out' of communities by second homes and holiday lets, sewage leakage into the lakes, high carbon emissions and traffic and environmental damage from cars as some of the problems high visitor numbers create.

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Friends of the Lake District policy officer, Dr Kate Willshaw, said: "We know that tourism plays a vital role in supporting local economies. But we also know, from this research, it brings with it a cost that is not currently being met.

"Based on this research, we believe that we need to explore the various schemes that could be implemented to address the impacts of tourism in the Lake District and unlock investment in vital areas like public transport.

"We hope that this report provides the basis for a discussion about the most appropriate type of scheme for the Lake District, and for developing a plan to make this happen."

The 'Who Pays For the Lake District?' report found that the 18 million tourists that flock to the Lake District's quaint towns and scenic countryside each year 'exceed the capacity' that local infrastructure can handle.

Dr Davina Stanford, who carried out the study, said that money required could be raised through a tax on overnight stays, a visitor vehicle levy or a visitor parking charge. Money raised from a tourist tax should then be invested back into the area to address the issues by local authorities and the Lake District National Park Authority, the report suggested.

A tourist business improvement district could also be set up, covering parts of the national park where businesses have to pay an extra levy for public improvements.

Dr Rose O'Neill, chief executive of Campaign for National Parks, backed the report saying: "National Parks are one of the country's biggest success stories, bringing huge benefits in terms of health and wellbeing, and billions of pounds and thousands of jobs to support rural economies.

"However, National Park Authorities have faced real-term cuts of over 40% in the last decade and are being pushed to breaking point. Today's report shows that, through innovative visitor levy models, coupled with government funding and effective regulation, the hundred million visits to National Parks each year could become a force for recovery, for nature and ourselves.”