Member of Parliament Sir Julian Smith has held an urgent summit directly with the leadership of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and North Yorkshire Police to address severe disruption caused by seasonal visitor influxes. Residents across popular honey-pot villages inside the park boundary have faced immense frustration due to gridlocked roads, with tourists parking illegally on narrow verges, blocking local agricultural tractors, and obstructing vital emergency ambulance access routes. Police lines have confirmed they are evaluating a targeted "tow-away" blitz for vehicles causing dangerous obstructions. Furthermore, neighbourhood policing commands have warned that a rise in verbal hostility toward park rangers enforcing the strict ban on disposable barbecues will face direct criminal intervention.
Sir Julian Smith Meets Police and Authority Bosses to Face Down Dangerous Parking and Ranger Abuse
17 June 2026
Politicians and police chiefs have held an emergency meeting inside the National Park to launch a zero-tolerance crackdown on anti-social tourists who are gridlocking rural lanes and shouting verbal abuse at fells rangers