Chatsworth Estate: Disgust as litter left at historic Derbyshire stately home grounds where lambs and deer graze
A resident has shared photos of rubbish left behind near Chatsworth House.
Rhona Lee went for an evening stroll at Chatsworth Estate on Thursday, May 28, when she saw litter scattered around.
Dozens of bottles, including glass bottles empty crisp packets and sandwich packages were left behind at the riverside, near the historic Grade I listed stately home.
Rhona, who shared photos of the litter with the Derbyshire Times, said: “It was truly disgusting to see.
“It was honestly heartbreaking to see how much rubbish has been left behind over the past few days.
"People enjoying the river is one thing, but the fields and riverbanks were covered in bottles, cans, wrappers and leftover picnic bits.
"The photos were taken on the left side of the river if you were facing Chatsworth.
"It’s he same side of the river that Chatsworth's deers graze on, as well as their sheep with lambs.
"They walk through it, eat from it, and live on it. Leaving rubbish there isn’t just messy, it’s dangerous for them.”
Rhona has appealed to Chatsworth visitors to respect nature and put their rubbish in the bins.
She said: “These people put food in a bag, bring the bag to the location, eat the food and don't put the rubbish back in the bag they brought to bring home.
“There's a carpark not far by the cattle grid that has bins by the path and these people probably parked their cars there, and walked past the bins to the river area.
“Chatsworth isn’t a staffed attraction – it’s a living landscape, home to wildlife and livestock, and part of what makes our area so special.
"So just a reminder: if you bring it with you, please take it home with you.
“It takes seconds, and it keeps this place safe and beautiful for everyone, including the animals that rely on it. Let’s look after the Peak District, not leave it worse than we found it.”
A Chatsworth spokesperson said: “It’s wonderful to see people spending time outdoors during the warm weather in the Chatsworth Park.
"Our teams work hard maintaining the parkland for everyone to enjoy and we ask visitors to support us by either taking rubbish home or using the bins provided.”
Chatsworth Estate is not the only area in North Derbyshire affected by litter – with rubbish left behind across Chesterfield parks, residential streets and Peak District beauty spots.
Chesterfield Litter Pickers (CLP), a group fully run by volunteers, regularly go out of their way to keep the town and surrounding area clean – often collecting tonnes of rubbish left behind including fly tipping, dozens of “driver tizer” bottles and hundreds of vapes.
Between February and December 2025, CLP collected 34,897 kilograms of rubbish including, 1,650kgs of cans, which have been delivered to the Ward recycling centre.
Volunteers also collected 8,494 bags of litter, 3,475 vapes, 483 tyres, 192 needles/sharps and 163 flytips in the same time.
Anyone who spots litter or fly tipping in their local area is asked to report it to the relevant borough or district council.
If you see litter in Chesterfield you can report it online through My Chesterfield account, in North East Derbyshire, littering and fly tipping can be reported via a dedicated online form.