'Harry Potter' fans are being told to stop leaving socks at Dobby's grave in Wales because 'it could put wildlife at risk'

• "Harry Potter" fans have been leaving socks at Dobby's grave in Wales for over a decade.
• It's a memorial to the beloved character who dies in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1."

"Harry Potter" fans are putting wildlife "at risk" by leaving socks at Dobby's grave on a Welsh beach, according to National Trust Wales.

The beloved house elf has been a favorite among audiences since his debut in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," which made his death all the more tragic when he was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) in "Deathly Hallows - Part One."

Dobby passed away in Harry's (Daniel Radcliffe) arms on Freshwater West Beach in one of the most emotional scenes in the franchise. People have been leaving socks and other "Harry Potter" related items at the site ever since fans erected a memorial for the house elf.

National Trust Wales recently conducted an eight-month survey of the area to determine whether the memorial needed to be removed.

Although the organization has allowed the grave to remain intact, it has also issued a warning to fans who plan on leaving things on the Pembrokeshire beach in the future.

"The memorial to Dobby will remain at Freshwater West in the immediate term for people to enjoy," the group said, according to The New York Times. "The Trust is asking visitors to only take photos when visiting the memorial to help protect the wider landscape."

The statement pointed out that items left at the grave could harm local wildlife, and may even make it into the food chain.

The group said: "Items like socks, trinkets, and paint chips from painted pebbles could enter the marine environment and food chain and put wildlife at risk."

An official for National Trust Wales, Jonathan Hughes, added: "While we're delighted that so many want to visit, we have to balance the popularity of the site with impacts on the sensitive nature of the beach and wider environment, and pressure on the facilities and surrounding roads."

It's not the first time Dobby's grave has made the headlines, as some fans keep stealing Dobby's headstone. Thankfully, a local woman, Kaiye Nazer, has continued to replace it each time.

In 2019, she told Wales Online: "I decided to create another headstone and put it back there for people to discover and enjoy. A month later, it had gone again."

Nazer explained that fans kept taking it, so she had to make an additional sign for the site.

"I've put a fourth one there now, and have not been down to see if it's still there since. I've added another message on another stone which reads 'Do not steal Dobby's headstone,'" Nazer said.