'Overwhelmed' North Wales beach and forest locked down

North Wales Live

2 days ago

A popular beach and its forest were locked down after wardens became 'overwhelmed' by visitors illegally starting fires and BBQs. An entry gate was closed for three hours at Newborough National Nature Reserve on Anglesey to safeguard both visitors and wildlife.
Traeth Llanddwyn beach, often rated one of the best in Wales, was packed at the weekend as temperatures soared. On Saturday (August 16), the Met Office said Porthmadog in Gwynedd – 18 miles further south – was the warmest place in Britain (17.4C) and the fine weather sent people flocking to the Welsh coast.
Due to the serious implications of a blaze at the 2,500-acre forest, a reserve-wide ban on BBQs and open fires is in place. With conditions there currently bone-dry, the risks have magnified and ahead of the weekend visitors were reminded of the ban by site manager Natural Resources Wales (NRW).
Wild camping is also prohibited but this is routinely ignored, with issues escalating this summer. NRW wardens do their best to tackle the twin menace but on Saturday afternoon things began getting out of hand.
Local resident Cathy Sands, who runs a Llanddwyn appreciation group on Facebook, was horrified by what she saw. 'From 3pm, people were starting to pitch tents on the beach and light BBQs,' she said. 'Not wind breaks, proper tents.
'When I got there at 7pm, the wardens said they'd never seen so many fires in the area. They were getting a lot of abuse - people telling them to f*** off and saying it's not their beach and they can do what they want. Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now
'It was quite horrible to see what was going on. Scary too, with the threat to the forest in such dry conditions. As the wardens were speaking to one group of visitors, asking them to extinguish their fires, three or four more groups were arriving and starting more of them."
NRW said the reserve was locked down between 7pm and 10pm on Saturday. A spokesperson said this decision was taken by on-site wardens after 'several groups arrived intending to camp and light fires'.
Tree-lined Treath Llanddwyn and its iconic tidal island often feature in Visit Wales literature, while the adjacent forest and dune system are just as prized for their paths and nature. The area's popularity has boomed on social media and its profile grew further when featured on HBO's House of the Dragon.
Fires have broken out in the forest this summer but all have been contained. However a runaway blaze remains an ever-present threat both to NRW and to residents whose homes are nearby.
'Things were out of control'
To counter wild camping, and to manage traffic through Newborough village, NRW is installing a 'barrierless' parking system for the forest's three car parks. Due later this year, this will use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras with visitors asked to pay via app or online.
To the best of Cathy's knowledge, the weekend lockdown was the first ever ordered at the reserve. She believes that, in the circumstances, wardens had few other options.
'Things were out of control,' she said. 'Due to the number of visitors blatantly lighting fires and BBQs, NRW staff were overwhelmed – they couldn't extinguish the sheer amount of fires before more were being started.
'The wardens had to close the reserve just to get on top of the situation and it took them three hours to achieve this. All they were trying to do was to keep everyone safe and to protect the reserve's wildlife.
"If the forest had gone up in flames that afternoon, I'm sure there would have been deaths. The reserve was so crowded and there were so many people there who were drunk and high.'
NRW said the reserve is a cherished and ecologically significant site. A spokesperson said: 'We're listening to local concerns and doing everything we can to reduce risks.
'Please note that lighting fires and camping are not permitted at Newborough National Nature Reserve and Forest, although there are official campsites nearby.
'With the warm, dry weather increasing the risk of wildfires, we're asking everyone to follow the rules and help protect what makes this place so special. Get the best island stories from our Anglesey newsletter - sent every Friday
'Visitors are reminded to take their litter home, leave no trace, bring a picnic, and never light fires or BBQs. Please always follow local signage and fire safety warnings.'