"There was litter absolutely everywhere" - Visitors to Lumb Falls near Hebden Bridge told to clean up their act

Lumb Falls waterfall, which is located around three miles north of Hebden Bridge, is a popular spot for wild swimmers and is only accessible via a five minute walk from a quiet country road.

The privately owned falls had to be closed last year due to anti-social behaviour there, and it appears that the problem has resurfaced after visitors left the area strewn in rubbish.

Ryan Uttley, 31, who runs a small business providing cold water therapy sessions to people with mental health issues, visited the beauty spot on Sunday and was shocked to see it besieged by litter, broken bottles, food wrappers and even people's socks and underwear.

He said: "I go there because of my business doing cold water therapy, so I brought two people there through that.

"It's been going on for a long time now, especially in the warmer periods we've been having.

"It's the way people disrespect the spot. It's private land, it's owned by a farmer I believe, but it's a disgrace, it's horrible to see such a beautiful spot being ruined by people who don't respect nature.

"There was litter absolutely everywhere, disposable barbecues, glass bottles, beer cans, there were people smoking marijuana, crisp packets everywhere, it was just horrendous, it really was horrible to see."

Calder Ward councillor Josh Fenton-Glynn urged people visiting the area to ensure they are considerate.

He added he is particularly concerned about the danger posed by people lighting barbecues, with the land being so dry.

He ran past recently and stopped to speak to 15 people there who had brought disposable barbecues with them.

"As a fell runner, I'm quite regularly up on the tops and I've not seen it this dry for years," he said.

"Just one spark could kill thousands of birds and put firefighters' lives at risk.

"You don't want to be the person who is responsible for starting a fire."

Ryan echoed the councillor's view that the use of disposable barbecues could lead to an emergency incident at the site.

"I've seen people there with disposable barbecues, cooking food, and the councillor's absolutely correct," he added.

"With the weather and the dry grass, it was in the back of my mind thinking 'oh my god, what if the grass caught fire?', especially with the amount of people that were there as well.

"There were people jumping off the cliffs into the water, and the water level was really low.

"When they were coming up from the water they were saying 'oh my god, I've banged my feet' but there were people still jumping in.

"It's so sad because it's such a beautiful, amazing location and I do feel bad for the landowner."

Have you visited Lumb Falls recently? What do you think about the beauty spot being used this way? You can send us your views about the issue by emailing [email protected].