Lake District bosses have vowed to crack down on illegal campers who leave litter and light dangerous fires on the hottest days of the year.

Photographs show people pitching tents in the beauty spot while discarding beer cans, plastic bottles and furniture.

Westmorland and Furness Council and Cumberland Council say they are enforcing powers ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend to fine people involved in 'anti-social behaviour'.

It comes after one group of fly-campers were caught burning fires on tinderbox grass during the heatwave – posing a risk of wildfires.

The councils have also increased police patrols which dispatch wardens to roam shorelines on boats in search of illegal campsites.

Steve Tatlock, Ranger Team Leader for the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA), said: 'As we are in peak visitor season and approaching the Bank Holiday weekend, we can see an increase in behaviours such as fly camping, littering, campfires and dangerous parking.

'The majority of residents and visitors who enjoy the Lake District do so respectfully and consequently make sure to "leave no trace."

'However, as we are in peak visitor season and approaching the bank holiday weekend, we can see an increase in behaviours such as fly camping, littering, campfires and dangerous parking.

'Whether you're new to the National Park or a seasoned visitor, everyone is welcome to enjoy the beauty of its unique landscape.

'We all play an important role in looking after the Lake District, so stick to the countryside code and leave only footprints behind you.'

Wild camping is technically not permitted in the Lake District without permission from the landowner, according to the LDNPA.

However, it is normally tolerated for one night if campers 'leave no trace' and pitch above the highest fell wall, well away from residential property, lakeshores, fields and woodland. 

But the action becomes known as fly-camping when all rules are disregarded – with sites being left behind with rubbish.

Officials may hand out a Fixed Penalty Notice of £100 if a person is found to have broken the rules.

It comes as dozens of residents have become increasingly frustrated by an increase in lawless activity.

Hayley Webb, 49, an outdoor instructor who runs Hayley Webb Mountain Adventures in Cumbria, said she has spotted scores of sites weekly near her home in Derwentwater in Borrowdale this year.

She said: 'Fly-camping is absolutely an epidemic. It seems the more people are told not to do something and why, the more it seems to happen.

'Most times that I drive past, there is a tent or two.

'The area is being ruined by this. Much higher fines and consequences are needed - £100 just is not enough.'

Clive Rowlandson, 56, who has lived near the Ullswater Lake area his whole life said illegal campers are an 'eyesore'.

He added: 'I don't, alongside many locals, walk around the area any more, we avoid it.

'When I used to go, I would see about 20 campsites a weekend and I just got sick of seeing it.

'They leave scorch marks, and faeces in the grass, chop down trees - it is tragic.'

Rangers and Cumbria police have also previously spoken about vandalism, demanding thugs to stop graffitiing and carving their names into trees as well as chopping them down.

Earlier this month a joint operation involving Westmorland and Furness Council, Eden Police, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, the LDNPA and the National Trust saw a young couple fined for fly camping.

The LDNPA's patrol boat, supported by a police spotter, located the camp which had caused environmental damage including ripping up 'large amounts of flora'.

Footage showed how they found the couple had set a 'sizable fire' lit upon the 'bone dry, peaty ground underneath' which could have caused a wildfire if it was not extinguished by the team.

Scott Cameron, Group Manager for Prevention and Protection at Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service, has since 'urged' against the use of disposable barbeques, asking visitors to 'pack a picnic'.

Parking is also a concern, with striking video from earlier this year capturing dozens of luxury cars like Mercedes and BMWs covered in slurry which a farmer had sprayed after they parked on his field illegally.

The farmer, Hogg Hodgson, said he decanted the foul-smelling muck because he was 'sick of being abused' by people who park without permission on his land and being fed up with how they 'treat the Lake District'.

Councillor Andrew Jarvis, deputy leader of Westmorland and Furness Council and councillor for Windermere and Ambleside, said: 'The vast majority of visitors to our area behave responsibly but there are too many that cause disruption through illegal parking and antisocial behaviour.

'My message to visitors is that they are welcome here, but please behave responsibly and think about the impact of your actions on both the area and the local community.'

Last weekend saw over 30 cars receive parking tickets for bad parking.

Cumbria Police said: 'As we head into the busy August Bank Holiday weekend, we would remind visitors and residents to park considerately and legally at all times.'

The force added bad parking can cause 'obstruction and prevent emergency services, local traffic and public transport from getting through safely'.

Mr Tatlock said: 'During the peak season, the National Park Authority is continuing to work with partners through Cumbria's Strategic Visitor Management Group (SVMG) including the police, landowners and councils, to speak to and educate fly campers and irresponsible parkers as part of regular patrols.

'These don't just impact the beauty of the Lake District landscape but disrupt local communities and have the potential to damage vegetation, wildlife and in the case of fires, cause devastation.

'The time that staff and volunteers spend cleaning up litter and abandoned campsites takes them away from important conservation and access work.

'Along with our rangers, we also have a small number of dedicated roles who carry out face-to-face engagement with visitors to educate on the rules around camping in the Lake District.'