SLEDGERS who took to Wittenham Clumps to make the most of the week’s snow left the beauty spot strewn with litter.

Hundreds of people have made their way to the Northmoor Trust-owned nature reserve, near Didcot, since last week’s heavy snowfall, to enjoy the exceptional winter conditions.

But when dog walker Cara Chatterton, 30, took a stroll there last Friday, she was shocked to find there were broken sledges, drinks cans, and other rubbish left dumped in the snow.

Ms Chatterton, from Crowmarsh Gifford, said: “There were piles of rubbish everywhere.

“I actually though the people must still be there, but they had just dumped it.

“There were beer cans, crisp packets and random bits of plastic from broken sledges.

“I just knew that volunteers from Northmoor Trust would have to go round picking all this stuff up.”

She added: “I’m not a greeny type, but I just could not believe people would leave all this stuff everywhere without any conscience.

“I remember last February, someone had tried sledging down there in an old bath tub and just left it there.”

Brightwell-cum-Sotwell district councillor Celia Collett said the littering had happened before when there had been snow.

She said: “It’s such a shame, because the Northmoor Trust is such an excellent organisation – they usually deal with it themselves.

“It’s a shame that a charity has to clear up rubbish dumped up there without thought, when they are providing such a wonderful facility.

“It’s really inconsiderate of people who want to use it but then aren’t looking after it.”

The Northmoor Trust’s development director, Jayne Manley, said: “We want people to go out and enjoy the countryside and come sledging up here. But it would be better for us if they took their litter home.

“We do expect a certain amount of litter left behind, and we know we have to clear it away.

“It’s a very, very special place, and really important for wildlife and for other peoples’ enjoyment that we try to keep it as litter-free as possible.”