Britain’s highest beach Gaddings Dam was turned into a rubbish tip by ‘unwelcome guests’ over the weekend.

Volunteers, who look after the beach above Todmorden, arrived after the weekend to find discarded beer cans, broken bottles and other rubbish at the hilltop beauty spot.

Yobs and illegal campers also took rocks from nearby drystone walls for campfires before leaving behind the charred rubbish, including rusty nails.

Volunteers, who look after the beach, spent hours picking broken glass and bottle tops out of the sand where people and dogs paddle and walk barefoot.

Litter and charred remains left by yobs at Gaddings Dam. CREDIT: GADDINGS DAM GROUP

A spokesperson for Gaddings Dam Group said: “The beach was a mess after a weekend of unwelcome visitors.

“It took a long time to find and retrieve all the broken glass and bottle tops from the sand and gather up all the trash they couldn’t be bothered to take away.

“It was especially difficult to remove the remains of the fire they lit on the beach on Sunday – it was quite a job to find and pick out all the nails.”

He added: “I think we got it all out but the scar in the sand will remain as a testament to just how ignorant and thoughtless some people can be...

“There was also some vandalism to the walls which we will have to repair this week. A rather sad weekend for our lovely reservoir.”