VISITORS to a popular moorland beauty spot are being urged to help reduce traffic chaos by using new car parks created there.

Thousands of visitors head to Cod Beck Reservoir, near Osmotherley, causing parking problems in the summer months.

Many drivers unable to get into the site's car parks leave their vehicles along the road, causing obstructions.

This causes problems and has led to Hambleton Community Safety Partnership fearing that emergency vehicles might not be able to get through.

To tackle the problem, the safety partnership has spent £80,000 altering the layout of the car parks.

The reservoir's three former car parks have been turned into two new parking areas with the same number of spaces.

The car parks have bays marked on them to optimise their use and it is hoped this will ease the problem of verge-side parking at Cod Beck.

This is the latest in a series of measures by the safety partnership to improve public use of the area.

The partnership is made up of several groups including the National Trust who provided the £80,000.

The North York Moors National Park Authority, Hambleton District Council and the emergency services are also involved.

Simon Bassindale, of the national park, said: "We want to ensure that everyone who visits the area goes home safely.

"This new car park is the latest tool to solve some of the problems we encounter every weekend.

"We also want them to respect the beauty spot they are visiting and to observe the Countryside Code."

A further measure to ease the traffic problems brought in by the group is a clearway order running from Cote Ghyll to Scarth Nick. This bans parking on a two-mile stretch along the road leading to the reservoir.

Offenders face a £30 fine. Last summer, 132 tickets were issued, which was a 120 per cent increase on 2005.

The safety partnership also urges people not to swim in the reservoir as, in recent years, two people have died swimming there.

The area is also a designated public place so police can seize alcohol from anyone where they feel it will lead to anti-social behaviour.