‘Ban barbecues on London Fields,’ demand residents left fuming over heatwave litter
Rubbish dump: residents complained of litter and anti-social behaviour on London Fields. Photograph: Hackney Council
Furious residents are demanding that Hackney Council ban barbecues on London Fields, after the park was left scorched and covered in litter over the weekend.
“Hackney must immediately stop allowing people to barbecue,” said Mike Martin, chairman of London Fields User Group.
“There was smoke everywhere, noxious fumes coming from their barbecues, people sitting cheek by jowl. I wouldn’t be going there. It’s dreadful.”
There was “considerable drinking” going on until well into the night, broken bottles were left in the grass, and people were urinating in the woods, Mr Martin claimed.
Think you’re having a bad #Monday? Spare a thought for the @hackneycouncil workers cleaning up #London Fields 😷 pic.twitter.com/rP2lycpjAC
— Bradley Tubb (@BradTubb) May 9, 2016
After residents complained the park was short on bins, Hackney Council has promised to install more, and increase litter pickers.
The council said much of the rubbish was left late in the evening and so it will step up security staff on sunny weekends.
But bringing in bins will not solve the problem, said Mr Martin. “There’s plenty of bins over there. But the amount of people over there last weekend was incredible.”
Hackney Council said allowing barbecues continues to be reviewed on an annual basis – but it has no plans to ban them at the moment.
A spokesperson for Hackney Council said: “Following consultation with residents about barbecues in London Fields in 2011, there was support for them to be allowed in the park. Whilst they are allowed in a small section of the park, their use is restricted and enforced.
“London Fields was a popular park before barbecues were allowed and the issue here is not the number of park users but the unacceptable behaviour of a minority. All park users have the responsibility to clean up and dispose of their rubbish.”
The spokesperson added: “To fine someone for littering you have to see them drop the litter and walk away. Doing this in a park when people are sat in large groups having picnics and barbecues is difficult.”
Hackney Council tweeted pictures of the park on Monday morning:
Another beautiful morning in #londonfields . It would be nice if people at least put their rubbish near the bins pic.twitter.com/w0K2ULFdOP
— Greener Hackney (@greenerhackney) May 9, 2016
The council do a great job normally! Everyone wants to push their rubbish in a bin – but when they’re full it gets even worse. The park rangers caring for the park, helping with the extra toilets and bins, and making sure people only BBQ in the designated area do a great job. If there was more green space in Hackney I’d understand, but this park is for everyone who lives in an apartment to enjoy and share. People aren’t being deliberately destructive, it just needs more support. Think about how many apartment buildings have gone up in Hackney over the last 5 years – those people need somewhere to enjoy the warm weather and, god forbid, BBQ.
But perhaps London fields is too small for
BBQ’s – it’s too much smoke and damage – there’s nothing wrong with picnics though … and no one as far as I can hear is calling for stopping people enjoying the warm weather in the Park. The amount of BBQ’s seem to be getting uncontrollable for this size of green area.
sorry Louisa, but people who intentionally put their Barbecues on the grass and leave scorch marks, and people who just get up and leave their rubbish behind are being intentionally destructive. An end to barbecues doesn’t do anything to stop people enjoying and sharing London Fields. It just means that the damage and litter which this side of the park generates will be reduced. it’s noticeable that the “BBQ” corner experiences far worse littering than any other part of the Fields. As someone who has enjoyed a BBQ on London Fields, I think it’s a shame that anyone loses this facility. But if a selfish, stupid, lazy minority can’t or won’t change their behaviour, banning barbecues addresses the greater good. The park is already besmirched by scorched grass, purple banners on the trees, a ring of large bins for rubbish, a permanent security presence each weekend and clouds of smoke over this area of the park. if it happened on the occasional weekend, maybe more tolerable. but every hot weekend from now until September? it’s a small green space and it needs to be managed more sensitively.
people should be able to BBQ. Not everyone has a nice garden to do this in. Just clean the park up at closing time and provide some big giant bins all around the park- job done.
i agree with louisa. i bet some of those people there this weekend had the best time of their life, just needs to be cleaned properly and a few more bins. what a wonderful world everyone out enjoying the sun and having nice food with their friends. there must be some way of managing this without ruining it for everyone.
Louisa Hackney is one of the greenest boroughs in London – London Fields is just one of the smallest parks & having been a resident for 15yrs plus I now won’t go near it in hot weather. I live in a flat & used to cherish the days I spent there with my kids. Now I would rather travel to Epping, the marshes or leave town. People need to clean up after themselves and stop just walking away from rubbish. Bins full take it with you till you find a bin to put it in, and if that means taking it home then do it – I used to when we had a picnic. It’s not rocket science it’s about being respectful of a public space, being a grown up and cleaning up after yourself.
Louisa, I absolutely agree with Debbie. There is loads of Green Space in Hackney. We as a community need to cherish it. I can see the attraction of a barbecue, but if you can manage without one, There is plenty of space around the borough to enjoy food and fun with friends outdoors. Millfields is looking lovely right now.
A curious set of apologists here citing a lack of green space, not everyone having a garden, lack of bins etc. etc. Firstly LBH is one of the greenest boroughs, and yes more bins might have helped but the key thing is how many people made no effort to take their rubbish away, just left in situ where they had been sitting.
The BBQ is not a right and is banned in most parks for fairly obvious reasons. This zone was created as an experiment. At the moment it looks like it has failed due to the popularity and poor behaviour of the users. The smoke and smell of charred food has a negative impact on the whole area that reduces down the pleasure for all.
So if the permission to BBQ was removed would people stop using the space, stop ‘enjoying’ the outside with their friends? Unlikely but it would be more pleasurable for all.
Top of my list is not to extend the area, provide massive industrial bins but for people to make an effort to respect the space and do basic clean up..put rubbish in a bag , leave it by a bin. Oh, and when you pop the metal cap of your local craft beer pick the sodding thing up. Those sharp tops litter every green space, treated as if it is not rubbish but biodegradable forgetting that children, animals and adults can all find one embedded in their feet, knees or backsides.
Why should park users have to put up with noxious fumes blowing over to where they are sitting in the park? The air quality in Hackney is bad enough without this extra hazard. As a parent of a young child I can say that the barbecue area makes a large part of the park a no-go area. Can’t people just picnic?
Aside from the clouds of carcinogenic smoke, the responsibility for cleaning up and taking the rubbish away lies firmly with the people who make the mess
It’s fairly obvious from the pictures that the bins are overloaded and there is not enough of them. Put extra bins and it will sort out most of the problems.
Dear Alex Os – no it won’t… whilst many users did use or attempt to use the bins – London Fields were still covered in rubbish from where those using it simply got up an walked away. No amount of bins will stop that crappy, self-centred behaviour which costs money to clean up and reduces the pleasure for all other users.
And here’s the other question? Do we really want a ‘green’ space filled with vast industrial bins…kind f reduces the pleasure somewhat makes it a little like an industrial car park.
Best option – ban BBQs and fine those using them against the ban, or make a charge for using them, and spot fine those littering. Pretty dumb that people who are old enough to wipe their own bottoms need to be taught basic social behaviour.
im sure there is a disused car park or vacant building lot somewhere in Hackney. ;line it with bins and let the BBQ’s use it