Jane and her husband moved to the area 12 years ago
“It’s gotten so much worse, to the point where we are considering moving”(Image: Fred Langridge)
Jane Louise and her husband John bought their dream home 12-years-ago. Overlooking Agden Reservoir in Sheffield, the pair hoped it would be a peaceful and serene spot to move into their later years.
But Louise said the couple, who live on Smallfield Lane, have experienced anything but quiet. She told YorkshireLive the spot has turned into a ‘living nightmare’ over the last decade as a surge of visitors, attracted by the warm weather, flock to the site to sunbathe, streak and even ‘s**t everywhere’.
The 57-year-old said: “It’s gotten so much worse, to the point where we are considering moving. We can’t let our dogs off-lead because of the excrement. We can’t take our grandchildren out for walks because of people walking around naked. We can’t even get a moment’s peace in our own home because people will knock on our door to use the WiIFI – we are not a hotel!”.
Visitors have no shame about building ‘full-blown’ campsites by the reservoir (Image: Sarah R / Facebook)
Prior to Covid, the reservoir rarely had visitors – yet with nothing to do, Jane explained that Sheffield locals turned the once-serene spot into a chaotic spot reminiscent of ‘Brighton Beach’. Jane said: “When Covid hit we saw virtually overnight an influx of people. These people started swimming and sunbathing – encouraged presumably by the lack of deterrents. There was already a group of older ladies who swam on Wednesday but now it’s mainly teenagers and young tourists.”
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Jane struggles frequently with visitors’ inappropriate behaviour – ranging from nudity to bathroom etiquette. She said: “We almost stopped walking our dogs. You never know what they are putting their nose into. It doesn’t take rocket science to know that there are no bathrooms so now people ‘s**t behind a tree and move on.
“There’s also tonnes of rubbish. They come with beers, BBQ’s and food but never throw any of it away. Not only is it a fire hazard it’s also plain disgusting. They will also leave used toilet rolls – it’s just an absolute mess.”
Neighbour Eileen, 75, said that she also fears taking her grandchildren on walks because she frequently encounters naked people. She said: “I do not let them go out because of the horror stories. My daughter’s colleague was on a walk with his young children and a man completely naked was waltzing around.
“Another was walking around with her son when she saw a woman completely topless. People are constantly performing obscene behaviour – it’s gobsmacking.”
For residents like Jane and Eileen, there is also a genuine fear for safety in the water. Jane explained: “I am half-surprised that there are no bodies that have gone missing in it.
“There is so little security and deterrents. People have taken stones off of the brick walls to make walkways for themselves easier because it is just so badly managed.
Yorkshire Water are responsible for the reservoir as well as the land surrounding it – the same land is covered in signage to deter swimmers. However, residents like Jane and Eileen don’t believe enough is being done to manage the area.
Walls have been torn down to allow access for canoes and sunbathers (Image: Sarah R / Facebook)
Jane said: “When first started after Covid, Yorkshire Water put security up. I don’t really think they would challenge anyone though because they were receiving abuse. It was kind of shelved and then they left. They seem to only be bothered when something happens somewhere else.”
Jane is worried that without proper boundaries in place, the reservoir is just ‘an accident waiting to happen.’ She said: “We can’t even sleep with our windows open because of all the noise at night. If you tell them to stop you just get hounded with abuse. My worry is if people are staying out there all night, let alone all day, someone will drown.
“There needs to be better security around the land. If people were deterred away, they would be less inclined to treat the reservoir like Center Parcs or Brighton Beach.”
Yorkshire Water said that they have measures to protect their 130 reservoirs including Agden. As the second largest landowner in Yorkshire, they encourage respect across all of their land, but ultimately there is little to be done with regards to protection – aside from the public respecting codes of conduct.
A spokesperson said: “We’re not responsible for the roads or anything off our site.
“Our ranger team have seen people camping, people walking on the roads and damage to some walls caused by people climbing over them. We have not been contacted regarding the other issues pointed out and we would urge local people to report any anti-social behaviour to the Police via 101.
“We advise against swimming in our reservoirs due to the dangers they can pose, such as cold-water shock, hidden undercurrents and the machinery operating under the surface.
“Additionally, while water levels are low we would advise against walking across mud on newly exposed areas. Our ranger teams visit the reservoir regularly to inspect it. They do take litter away/put it in bins if they see it and report any issue to the appropriate authority”.
“We urge people to follow the Countryside Code when visiting any of our reservoirs, which includes respecting everyone, taking litter home, not lighting fires and only having BBQs in designated BBQ areas, and not causing damage or disturbance. Any damaged walls are reported and will be repaired. We would urge local people to report antisocial behaviour to the Police via 101 and call 999 if there’s a risk to life.”