Residents have been left disgusted and appalled at the state of a park, as rubbish, smashed glass and more is found scattered about the grounds.

Concerns have been raised over the state of Cleator Moor’s play park, on Jacktrees Road, after various rubbish was found left near play equipment and benches, with many fearing for their children’s safety when playing there.

Sharing their worries on social media, parent Kate Lindsay posted pictures to show the sorry state of the play area, with food wrappers, bottles, empty cartons and more strewn across the ground.

She said: “There’s glass rubbish everywhere, which I can’t pick up because of Covid.

“It’s just not safe for the kids, and we are limited on where to go at the moment – it’s the only place we can go most days with lockdown.”

The frustrated mum-of-two added that it’s a “really unsafe” place for her eight-year-old and two-year-old daughters to visit, due to not knowing what will be found on the park floor.

And many parents agreed, with one commenting on the Cleator Moor woman’s post: “I went on Thursday afternoon and said never again.

“It was dirty, [and] full of glass and food packaging.

“The equipment in the toddler area was rotten – looks like it hadn’t been cleaned in years.”

The play area is owned and managed by Copeland Borough Council, which regularly sends members to help tidy the area in a bid to keep the park safe and useable for all.

Cleator Moor Town Council is also aware of the issue, and clerk Steve Richardson said: “We know littering is a big problem at the moment, not just for Cleator Moor but in other areas as well.

“We have been down there to pick some litter up, and Copeland Borough Council has sent people for litter picks before to try to tidy the park.

“There are litter bins provided though, and it is people’s own responsibility to properly dispose of their rubbish in a safe way.”

He added: "People just need to show a bit more respect and care for the area."

A spokesperson for Copeland Borough Council said: “We are aware that littering in play-areas has increased during recent weeks which we understand is largely resulting from irresponsible and anti-social behaviour at evenings and weekends.

“We are working in partnership with the police to tackle this issue."

They continued: “We currently have a twice weekly cleaning and on-site litter bin emptying regime in place at Jacktrees play area, and it is disappointing to see that despite these measures, some are still choosing to spoil it for others.

“Our team works tirelessly to try and ensure that our parks, open spaces and play areas are maintained to the best of our ability with limited resources, and implore residents and visitors to treat play areas with the respect they deserve, so the whole community can enjoy the facilities.

“Alongside our regular maintenance of these areas we have also recently promoted the national Love Parks campaign as well as our local Pride of Place initiative in an effort to combat littering in Copeland.”