REPORTS of an illegal party over the weekend have forced the closure of two car parks in Kielder.

A statement from Kielder Water and Forest Park on Sunday said a camp fire was left and timber items in the Kielder Castle car park were burnt.

"We are saddened to share after great work by the public, our ranger teams and Northumbria Police, Kielder Castle car park was the location of an illegal party," a statement said.

Rangers collected rubbish, including a tent, that had been left in the aftermath of the party. Patrols are now due to work into the night to prevent similar gatherings reoccurring, the authority said.

The statement added: "CCTV does operate in the Kielder area so to those who think they are above the law may find actually they are not."

The incident has been reported to Northumbria Police.

Car parks at Elf Kirk and Skyspace closed on Sunday until further notice. Seven car parks throughout Kielder were reopened on Wednesday, May 20 after the Government relaxed its lockdown measures.