At a time of national heatwave, Dovedale is experiencing an increased level of fire risk, littering, illegal camping and prohibited barbecues. Recently, the Fire Service had to attend an incident involving open fires leaving scorched grass, and tents have also been erected illegally. Waste left behind — including butane gas canisters, barbecue lighter fuel and shisha pipes — all pose a real danger to wildlife, along with causing wildfires.

Thorpe and Ilam are the closest villages to Dovedale, Thorpe being on one side of the River Dove in Derbyshire, and Ilam over the other side in Staffordshire. Thorpe Parish Council has contacted DDDC, the Peak District National Park, Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service and the National Trust, and is liaising with local Police to ensure these concerns are fully understood. Our hope is that the authorities can work together to prevent a wildfire or other avoidable incident in the valley.

We recognise how beautiful it is here. We warmly welcome visitors who enjoy Dovedale, respect its landscape, and avoid putting the area at risk by using naked flames for barbecues or fires, or by leaving litter that harms wildlife. It is a very simple request, and we would greatly appreciate visitors helping to protect this special place. The National Trust already has prominent signage around the area informing visitors that barbecue use, fires, cooking and shisha pipe use are prohibited, but these signs are increasingly ignored.

Access to the Stepping Stones is also difficult for the Emergency Services, and we do not wish to impose upon them unnecessarily. We will continue to provide updates as joint plans develop to help keep Dovedale safe.