(Lake District National Park Auth via SWNS)

By James Connolly

Visitors to one of Britain's best-loved beauty spots are being urged to stop carving initials into tree trunks, as rangers warned it's causing "lasting harm."

Experts said it's often mistakenly thought of as a "relatively harmless act of vandalism", with examples etched into trees in parks and woods across the country.

But the Lake District National Park Authority is warning that carving can seriously damage trees, causing decay and fungal damage.

In some cases, it can even result in trees having to be chopped down, as woodlands officer Olivia Wass explained how small carvings can have big consequences.

She said: "When you carve into a tree , you're cutting through its bark - the tree's protective outer layer that sh

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