Ban on overnight parking in national park paused after 'anti-social behaviour got worse'

Overnight parking will be allowed again in nine car parks in Wales' biggest national park - two months after it was banned.

Eryri National Park Authority (ENPA) had restricted overnight parking at 11 car parks since 1 April, to try and address problems like litter and anti-social behaviour.

But locals and visitors raised concerns over the move, including one guesthouse owner in Betws-y-Coed, Conwy, who said problems with camper vans parking in his street and people using gardens as toilets had worsened since it was introduced.

The ban was paused at the ENPA's annual general meeting, where members accepted a recommendation to lift the restriction while further consultations are carried out.

Nearly four million people visit Eryri National Park, also known as Snowdonia, each year. Many begin the hike up to its highest peak - Yr Wyddfa - during the early hours of the morning to reach the top by sunrise.

In April, local people told the BBC they feared the ban would encourage parking in residential streets, while a local guide feared an impact on her business.

Richard Edwards, who owns the Courthouse guesthouse in Betws-y-Coed, said residents in his street were used to anti-social behaviour from camper van owners, but the overnight parking ban had made problems worse during recent weeks.

"This is one of the very few roads in Betws-y-Coed where parking is not restricted," he said.

"So it's always been a magnet for camper van owners, as well as visitors and their cars - even though there is a caravan park about 300 yards down the road."

Edwards said tourists still brought their camper vans and parked outside properties on the street.

"They restrict access because sometimes they park on the pavement," he said.

"Secondly, they leave their rubbish behind, sometimes in peoples' gardens, frequently in our car parks. And they even relieve themselves in our gardens and car parks.

"And since the ban on parking in the overnight car parks, it has got a lot worse."

Mr Edwards welcomed the pausing of the ban, but added: "I'm not quite sure what pause means. I think the ban should be rescinded totally so that camper van owners can safely and legally park."

Daisy Drew, 27, from Norfolk, arrived in Betws-y-Coed with her fiancee Simon Flaherty, 31, on Tuesday. She said the couple were "winging" the last days of their stay in north Wales in their camper van.

She was unaware parking overnight was banned in the village's long-stay car park, and said not allowing campers to pay to stay in empty or quiet sites seemed "a bit daft".

She said the couple were not fans of