Wild Boar Fell and Mallerstang are among planned additions to the Dales

A conservation charity is making an 11th-hour plea to outdoors enthusiasts to back its campaign to extend two national parks.

The Government’s consultation on the enlargement of the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales ends on Friday, and the Friends of the Lake District are urging the public to support the expansion plans.

Natural England, the Government’s advisory body on the outdoors, is proposing to add areas to the East and South of the Lake District to its existing area, and bring the northern Howgill Fells, Mallerstang and Wild Boar Fell and the Orton Fells, along with Middleton, Barbon and Leck Fells and Firbank Fell into the Yorkshire Dales national park.

Friends of the Lake District policy officer Jack Ellerby said: “National parks are of huge value to the health and wellbeing of the nation and local communities, and boost local and regional economies, so it is vital that we let the decision makers know our views.”

A previous consultation, held last year, produced a public response in favour of the enlargement of the parks, with between 68 and 75 per cent of individuals and organisations backing the plans.

Members of the public can submit their views via the Natural England survey site.

Natural England will then assess the comments on the detailed boundaries and prepare the legal orders to recommend the new boundaries. It will submit this to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Richard Benyon, who will decide if the extensions should go ahead.