A mum and son were so disgusted by the mess left at Nottingham's Arboretum on Easter Sunday morning they armed themselves with litter pickers and gloves and decided to sort it out.
Dog walker Jane Antcliff, 63, of Bulwell, loves walking her pet Taffy every morning at the Nottingham beauty spot.
But when she turned up at 7.30am on Easter Sunday she was horrified to see that picnickers basking in yesterday's sunshine had left behind heaps of rubbish.
The grass has been coated in beer cans, bottles, barbecue sets which have singed the grass, crisp packets, sweets, shopping bags and even bags of cannabis.
Hundreds of people flocked to the Arboretum as temperatures soared over the bank holiday weekend.
Two small trees have also been snapped.
She said: "I went home and I thought 'I am going back.' Anything like that just gets on my nerves."
She recruited her son, former licensing manager for Nottingham City Council, Richard Antcliff, and the pair armed with litter pickers decided to sort the mess out.
They intend to spend several hours clearing the grass of all the rubbish left behind by inconsiderate park users - but are concerned it will only happen again.
Mrs Antcliff said: "I was walking my dog this morning about 7.30am and I saw this and could not believe my eyes. There are tonnes of council bins around so there is no excuse.
"I think I would make a good litter picker. People need to be more considerate and put their rubbish in the bin.
"You do not want to spoil people's fun, it is the Easter holidays and the weather is nice, but there is no excuse. This is the worst I have ever seen it.
"They are coming on to the Arboretum because they like it but they are not leaving it like that."
Mr Antcliff, of Mapperley, called what he saw a "disgrace."
He added: "If people came to the Arboretum and it looked like this they wouldn't stay. I still live in Nottingham and we come here and want to enjoy it.
"It is about people's values and doing the right thing. One of the most basic things you are taught as a kid is 'put your rubbish away' but we seem to have lost that somewhere.
"I expected to see bins overflowing and I can see 14 bins within a 50 metre radius and they are half empty and there is rubbish on the grass."
Dog walker Graham Lester George, who lives nearby, was also disgusted by what he saw as he walked his dog through the grass.
He said: "I think it is awful. It is picnickers. They should be fined. If they are not deterred they will carry on doing it.
"It happens every summer, as soon as the weather improves. They leave their stuff and walk away. There are enough bins out, there is no excuse, it is selfish."
Nottingham City Council tweeted: "This is unacceptable behaviour for our parks. Everyone has the right to enjoy our parks but please put your rubbish in the bins or take it with you if they are full."
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