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A historic mine in Iceland may have to be closed to the public because visitors keep pinching its crystals, environmental officials have warned.

The Helgustadanama mine is famous for Icelandic spar, a type of transparent calcite which was historically used in scientific equipment. Tourist guides note that and removing any spar is forbidden, but that message doesn't seem to be getting through to everyone.

The Environment Agency says it has been asking for more government funding in order to patrol the area, but that so far hasn't been forthcoming. Olafur Arnar Jonsson from the agency that if things don't change, the mine will have to be shut in order to protect what's left.

Some locals are unhappy that funds have been spent improving access to the mine, including car parking and toilet facilities, but not on security measures to protect the site. Heidberg Hjelm, who lives nearby, come prepared with tools to chip away bits of spar and make off with it.

The English-language is unimpressed with the news. "Visitors keep stealing the crystals to keep as souvenirs and that's why we can't have nice things. Because people are terrible," journalist Nanna Arnadottir writes.

Iceland is trying to manage a huge growth in tourist numbers: last year it saw , a 39% increase on 2015. Tourism Minister Thordis Kolbrun R. Gylfadottir says the country doesn't want to increase the number of foreign travellers any further, and that one measure is limiting the number of people accessing a site at any one time.

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