The sun is out in abundance- but sadly so are the litter louts in parks all over Milton Keynes

The Parks Trust has published photos showing messes that people have left behind over the past few days and they urged them to be more considerate.

They have also issued a reminder that barbecues and campfires are strictly not permitted in any local parks.

“Please take care of your local parks...Take your litter home with you,” they urged.

The photos, taken by patrolling park rangers, show overflowing waste bins, charred remains of barbecues and bottles and food wrappers strewn over grassy areas.

The Parks Trust has removed around 100 tonnes of litter and fly-tipped waste from Milton Keynes parks over the past year. This includes more than 11,000 bags of refuse from various sources, including bins, litter picking activities, and fly-tipped waste.

A significant portion of this waste, around 30%, is plastic, posing a risk to both wildlife and the environment

A trust spokesperson said: “The cost of clearing up litter falls directly to us which currently amounts to around £0.5 million pounds a year. This cost doesn’t hit taxpayers, and we receive no money from local or central government. As a self-financing charity, we strive to keep this cost as low as possible to ensure we are financially sustainable and to protect funds available to maintain and improve the parks for the benefit of all.”

Meanwhile, some people have asked why The Parks Trust doesn’t install more litter bins to prevent overflow.

The spokesperson said: “The cost of removing litter from our parks is enormous, so adding more bins is not the answer to tackling litter.

"Research conducted by Keep Britain Tidy indicates that 62% of people do not litter. These people would normally take their litter home with them, but upon seeing bins, will use them.

"We have trialled adding additional bins in certain locations and it has not been successful in decreasing the amount of litter in the area. Installing more bins in our parks is not affordable for our charity and handling the excess litter reduces funds that could otherwise be spent on maintaining and improving the parks for the benefit of all.”