THIS is the squalid scene that greeted visitors to a New Forest beauty spot.

Bags of rubbish were strewn across the car park at Hatchet Pond – one of the most popular picnic areas in the New Forest – after the litter bin overflowed.

The bags attracted donkeys in search of food, one of which started choking as it rummaged through the contents.

Now the Forestry Commission,which maintains 134 car parks in the Forest, is facing calls to provide extra bins or empty them more often.

However, the commission has hit back at the criticism. It says the Hatchet Pond bin was emptied the day before, but filled up again quickly because of the “fantastic” weather.

The photograph was taken by Daily Echo reader Lucy White, of Hythe, who was visiting the attraction near Beaulieu.

She said: “We arrived to find donkeys tearing open the rubbish bags that people had left there because the enormous bin was overflowing.

“The picture doesn’t show all the rubbish, which was strewn around a fairly large area. One of the donkeys was choking on the bag it was eating.

“When I rang the New Forest emergency number someone casually said they’d look into it.

“I appreciate that this is a busy tourist area and the bin provided is huge. Perhaps there should be more signs encouraging people to take their rubbish home.”

The photograph was taken last Sunday, when the area was heaving with visitors.

A Forestry Commission spokesman said that the bin was emptied last Saturday: “The weather was fantastic and may have led to it filling more rapidly than usual.”