'Binnie the Pooh' aims to get removed car park bins back

Mike Greensmith, who describes himself as the village crier, says he has had "lots of messages" about the bin situation

Supplied Mike Greensmith — Mike Greensmith, who describes himself as the village crier, says he has had "lots of messages" about the bin situation

A man who describes himself as a village crier hopes to create a spot of bother with a campaign to have bins returned to a Peak District car park.

Mike Greensmith, 65, started his mission in August after the bins were removed from the Bowden Bridge car park in Hayfield.

He created the "Binnie the Pooh" bin to try to persuade the Peak District National Park Authority to return them.

The authority said the two bins were removed due to budgetary restrictions.

His prototype bin - featuring a toy of fictional character Winnie the Pooh, from which his creation is named - has been funded by donations from the community.

Mr Greensmith said he had seen rubbish be left at Bowden Bridge car park

Supplied Rubbish — Mr Greensmith said he had seen rubbish be left at Bowden Bridge car park

It is currently on display in the beer garden of the Sportsman Inn in Hayfield.

Mr Greensmith, who has lived in the village for 31 years, said: "Last year, they removed the bins and the detritus has got worse and worse.

"The bin was only £60, and we've got about £1,500 in already. This is a small metaphor for how [annoyed] people are with everything else."

The prototype bin has a manifesto, which contains "mild peril" that may leave people "falling off [their] seat with laughter"

Supplied Binnie the Pooh — The prototype bin has a manifesto, which contains "mild peril" that may leave people "falling off [their] seat with laughter"

The names of everyone who donated to the campaign are displayed on the bin, as well as a manifesto Mr Greensmith said aimed to persuade the authority to reinstate the bins.

Meanwhile, he is seeking to gain a waste transfer licence from the authority, which would allow "Binnie" to be installed at the car park permanently.

Mr Greensmith said money he had raised would go towards the licence, with any remaining funds going to charity.

He said he would consider entering "Binnie" into the Turner Prize 2025 as street art, using any prize money to help the village.

Mr Greensmith hopes "Binnie" can be permanently installed at the Bowden Bridge car park

A spokesperson for the Peak District National Park Authority confirmed there were no plans to reinstate the car park bins.

They said: "Rubbish bins have been removed from a number of national park authority-managed locations in recent years due to the costs involved with litter management, which has previously been estimated at around £40,000 a year across our network.

"This is also in line with promoting responsible visiting and encouraging a 'take home what you bring' approach, which the vast majority of visitors to the Peak District adhere to.

"In most cases, we have not seen any increase in littering since bins have been removed, and our rangers still continue regular 'litter-picking' patrols at sites we look after.

"Locations that feature food and drink outlets continue to have bins provided."