Before and after: Brits blasted for leaving piles of litter in parks as mini-heatwave coincides with easing of lockdown restrictions

Thousands of people have been out in parks and gardens enjoying the good weather and renewed freedom of eased lockdown restrictions this week.

Beaches, parks and fields all over the country have seen crowds of people gather to socialise and enjoy the record-breaking weather.Many have followed the rules, abiding by social distancing and only meeting up with a maximum of six people or one other household.

But people in many parts of the country have woken up this morning to find public outdoor spaces laden with rubbish.

‘Never seen it this bad’

The Sheffield Telegraph reported that large piles of litter were left in the city’s Endcliffe Park after it was crowded with people yesterday.

Residents have described the scene this morning as “awful”, with one woman saying she has “never seen it this bad”.

Ellen Beardmore, editor of the Sheffield Telegraph, tweeted a video of the aftermath, showing bottles, takeaway food containers and other litter all over the park.

She wrote: “This is what beautiful Endcliffe Park looks like today after one day of warm weather.

“Barbecues, clothes, booze bottles, and at least one wallet that people didn’t bother to take home.“

‘What’s wrong with these people?’

Similar photos and videos have been uploaded to social media from parks and outdoor spaces all over the country, including Hyde Park in Leeds.

Many people have expressed their outrage at the scenes on social media, blasting those who failed to take their litter home with them.

One man wrote: “What’s wrong with these people? I couldn’t possibly leave litter like that. Seems that there are those that are happy to live in a rubbish dump. Appallingly low standards.”

While many lay the blame solely on those who drop the litter, others have commented on a failure to anticipate the problem and provide enough bins.

One Twitter user responded to a video of the litter in Leeds’ Hyde Park, saying “Disgraceful yes and these people are an embarrassing bunch but also [a] lack of common sense to not line the place with bins also for [the] public”.