VANDALS who have torn down trees on Ilkley Moor and left the area strewn with rubbish must not be allowed to set a precedent, says a walker.

An Ilkley walker recently came across a smouldering camp fire, littered with discarded beer bottles - and discovered that a number of trees had been torn down close by, and probably used as firewood.

The damage was discovered in an area of pine woodland on footpath beyond Ilkley Tarn on Saturday July 6.

The walker, who does not want to be named, said: "It just seems a shame. We want to stop this now before it sets a precedent, and we'll have it happening all the time."

He fears the camp fire, which was left smouldering, could spread and become a serious moorland blaze.