Visitors to a Cornwall beauty spot are being asked to follow basic countryside guidelines after several incidences of vandalism and neglectful behaviour that left two ponies going missing.
Cornwall Heritage Trust has advised visitors to leave sites as they are found after signage was vandalised and gates were tied open at Sancreed Beacon, a Bronze Age archaeological site near Penzance – leading to two ponies escaping.
The ponies were eventually found two miles away by one of the site's caretakers and were safely returned home.
Chief executive officer for Cornwall Heritage Trust, Cathy Woolcok, said: "We absolutely love people coming to visit the site, it's free all year round, and we want people to enjoy it, but we also want people to follow the basic countryside rules.
"I had a phone call to say 'just letting you know they're (the ponies) out', so nobody had spotted they were missing.
We care for Sancreed Beacon so that everyone can enjoy it. It's devastating to find the gates tied open, the ponies missing, poo bags dumped on the path & our signage ripped down. Please follow the basic countryside rules if visiting our sites- leave them as you found them! pic.twitter.com/uk0Of1npHd
— Cornwall Heritage Trust 〓〓 (@Heritage_Trust) March 9, 2021
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"Usually somebody local will spot that they're not there and give us a ring and say they're missing or I've found them on my driveway and we can sort that out.
"This time they'd been out for longer and travelled further, our stockman had to walk two miles to find them, and somebody had put them in a field not knowing whose they were.
"The ponies were in danger, they could've been on the road, they could've been frightened by somebody on the footpath which could have been dangerous, and it also involves a cost for us because if they do damage while they're out we have to pay for it."
This is not he first time the ponies have managed to escape and Cathy went on to mention some of the reasons as to why people aren't following the countryside code.
She said: "Sometimes people go up there and they think they look a bit hungry and they open the gates so they can go and graze on the verge.
"We've had people say they think it's like Bodmin Moor, where the ponies can graze and roam freely, and sometimes I think it's just ignorance, they open the gates perhaps just to let themselves through and don't think to close the gate behind them."
If you're unsure as to what the basic code of conduct is when accessing countryside areas, you can find it on the Gov.uk website by searching: Countryside Code
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