Parklife: are you breaking rules?

Free-range children, over-enthusiastic flying disc players and 'weekend' guitarists butchering 'Wonderwall' are park-users who get people hot under the collar, according to new research.

Thirty six per cent of park-users have had their afternoon 'gatecrashed' by an unaccompanied child while a third say their picnic has been disrupted by loud music blaring from someone else's portable speakers.

The study of 2,000 outdoor-diners by food delivery service Deliveroo, also reveals that a quarter have come under fire from a wayward football, and one in seven has had to move their gathering after being smoked out by someone else's barbecue.

Despite these annoyances, 88 per cent of people still enjoy eating outdoors, with 70 per cent claiming that having their meals outdoors makes them feel happier.

Deliveroo spokeswoman Kate Thomas said: "As the sun comes out it's tempting to take our dining experience outside to make the most of the summer. Of course, this comes with its own set of problems.

"It's great, then, that so many people are still forging on through the barrage of Frisbees, footballs and other picnickers in order to set up their own gingham feast."

Most annoying park characters

1. Random, unaccompanied children gatecrashing your space

2. People playing music too loudly

3. Litterers

4. Footballers

5. Noisy groups

6. Wandering dogs

7. BBQ users smoking out nearby park-users

8. Frisbee players

9. Unwelcome guests

10. Amateur musicians

When it comes to other picnic annoyances, 43 per cent of park-goers have planted their behinds on a patch of wet grass, almost half have had to defend their picnic treats from a wasp attack and 46 per cent have returned home covered in bug bites.

Inclement weather has been the undoing of a picnic for a third of park-goers, while 12 per cent have come under-prepared for their guests and had to leave mid-nic to get more supplies.

Seventy two percent buy their picnic treats from the supermarket, while one in five get their guests to contribute their own dishes to the feast.

A picnic wouldn't be complete without fresh fruit, say two thirds of outdoor diners, while 60 per cent serve scotch eggs.

Other outdoor dining staples include cocktail sausages (60 per cent), coleslaw (45 per cent) and potato salad (42 per cent).

For most, a picnic is a spontaneous affair, with a third getting their gathering together in just a few hours.

Picnic etiquette is another area of concern as the weather gets nicer. For 57 per cent, leaving litter around the site is the biggest mistake you can make, while soggy sandwiches are seen as a major faux pas.

What better way to round off this coverage than by revisiting Blur's eponymous '94 award winning album track, referencing Parklife pigeons to joggers.