YOUR report about the threat to World Heritage Site status because of on-going damage caused by 4x4s (Gazette, August 16, 'Calls for 4x4s ban in Lakes') certainly grabbed my attention but there is a wider cause for concern.

All WHS status has done for many people who live in the national park is to exacerbate their view that the park does not have the infrastructure to cope with the number of tourists that currently visit, never mind accommodate the many more that WHS status is sure to bring.

There is also a feeling that the focus of the national park management is more interested in development of business opportunities than it is about its core aims, namely to 'conserve and enhance its natural beauty' and while they do have a role to play in 'fostering the social and economic well being' of local communities, under the Sandford Rule this should not be at the expense of the environment.

In the case of organised 4x4 safaris the social and economic benefits are minimal, if not negative. Just ask the Wilkinsons, who felt compelled to leave their farm, and while Mr Fieldhouse of Kanku is right that they have as much right as anyone to enjoy the Lake District I'm sure I'm not the only one whose pleasant walk has been spoiled by an encounter with a train of 4x4s or off road motorcycles; what about my right to enjoy the countryside?

But while organised off road groups are certainly a problem there is also an issue with traffic in general, particularly parking.

Problems in the honey pot towns have been well documented but it is just as much of a problem in more rural areas where the increase in tourist numbers and the prevalence of SUVs means that any patch of fell, common or roadside is fair game for parking, which is both unsightly and causes big problems with soil erosion.

One can hardly blame the tourists, though, as there is precious little in the way of proper car parking available.

If the Lake District landscape is to be conserved and then something urgently needs to be done about vehicle activity of all kinds and it is time the national park authority took a good look at its raison d'etre and took its obligations in this area more seriously.

Malcolm Lamb

Elterwater