There is anger at The Lizard after some visitors set up tents and stayed overnight in vans in "blatant disregard" to public safety.

This is the view of some residents, after at least five tents and four vans were found staying overnight at various spots around the village and nearby Kynance over the weekend.

It included sightings of tents at Pistol Meadow, near the former wireless station and at Pentreath, with vans also seen staying overnight in the National Trust car park for the lighthouse and on land adjoining the Kynance car park.

Janice Thirlaway-Price told the Packet that many residents were angry at the apparent flouting of government lockdown rules, which continue to ban overnight stays even after the easing of some measures last Wednesday.

Read more: Government clarifies travel advice, saying day trips are OK but visits to second homes and nights away are not

She said: "The main thing thing is the blatant disregard of government guidelines and lack of consideration for our community.

"There are no facilities open, so nowhere to go to the toilet for ten miles - Tesco or Sainsbury’s - which leads to the dangers of human waste in and around the footpaths local people are using for their daily exercise."

Falmouth Packet:

Tents spotted on land at The Lizard

She added that such actions potentially added an extra drain on emergency services and pointed out that beaches were not currently being patrolled, which could cause problems for people unaware of the dangers of currents and tides.

"There is the increased risk of spreading Covid-19 and the impact it will have on Treliske and our local doctors," she said. "Various footpaths around the village make it impossible to maintain a two metre distance."

Read more: Change to lockdown 'will open floodgates to day trippers' to Cornwall, it is claimed

A spokesperson for the National Trust said that people should not be staying overnight on National Trust land at any time, and particularly now in light of the coronavirus rules.

She said: "People shouldn't be doing that anyway, let alone on National Trust Land, and anyone seeing it should be alerting their local police on 101."

She added that while staff numbers were reduced at the current time, there were still teams in place at different locations and the trust would look to get someone out to The Lizard.

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