Photos

Roxeth Recreation Ground

Sun 17 Mar 2024

19 HLP volunteers and Friends of Roxeth Recreation Ground cleared the park plus Parkfield Road, Kingsley Road, Eastcote Road, Whitby Road, Wargrave Road, Scarsdale Road, Wyvenhoe Road and the path from South Hill Avenue to Wood End Avenue, collecting around 36 bags. Residential streets were generally in good order; tiles and cement were removed from Parkfield Road and wooden pallets from Eastcote Road. Litter and fly-tipping behind shops and in private alleyways were noted but left, and drug use behind shops created an intimidating atmosphere in places. A small pre-event foray the same day also cleared Corbins Lane, Leathsail Road and nearby paths, adding 12 bags.

Eastcote Lane & St Margaret's Avenue

Tue 19 Mar 2024

14 volunteers covered Eastcote Lane, Cross Road, Valentine Road and St Margaret’s Avenue, collecting 40 bags and reporting several fly-tips. Costa Coffee provided refreshments afterwards and help clearing waste behind the premises, with evidence of dumpers reported to Enforcement. Cross Road had brand-new dumped goods and later repeat fly-tipping near parked removal vans; St Margaret’s Avenue and the alley to Northolt Road were a particular concern for fly-tipping and aggressive behaviour linked to suspected drug dealing.

Waitrose & Stanley Road

Thu 21 Mar 2024

21 volunteers collected 57 bags — 45 from the Waitrose car park (private land, cleared by agreement) and 12 from surrounding public areas. Waitrose disposed of all bags via commercial waste and provided drinks and snacks. Police Safer Neighbourhood Officers attended because of drink and drug use on the adjoining service road. Finds included hypodermic needles (safely boxed), nitrous oxide cylinders, empty alcohol bottles and takeaway litter; overgrown bushes along the path were constantly filled with rubbish.

Newton Farm Ecology Park

Sat 23 Mar 2024

21 volunteers removed 47 bags, clearing estate roads around Newton Farm, a stretch of Rayners Lane near Costcutter, and the Ecology Park itself alongside regular Harrow Nature Conservation Forum volunteers. A heavy mattress was pulled from undergrowth and the stream beside the medical centre was cleaned. The Council street cleaning team arrived at exactly the right time to take the waste away. Priest Park Avenue was heavily fly-tipped, including waste dumped over the fence into the park — a recurring problem.

South Harrow High Street

Mon 25 Mar 2024

26 volunteers collected over 60 bags around the High Street. Police Safer Neighbourhood Officers and a TfL representative attended; Waitrose hosted refreshments again. Street bins were washed of paan tobacco stains. Council officers ran a week of action in the area, with a Community Payback team clearing separate private service roads. A large “zombie” knife, cannabis and a wanted person were handed to or dealt with by police. Drug use, paraphernalia and related antisocial behaviour were evident between St Margaret’s Avenue, Roxeth Park and the station car park.

Northolt Road & Station Parade

Wed 27 Mar 2024

19 volunteers, again with Police SNT support, removed over 40 bags from Northolt Road, Torrington Drive, Brendon Gardens, Station Parade (shop fronts), Stroud Gate, Cadogan Close, part of Alexandra Avenue and Somervell Road. Graffiti was cleaned from utility boxes and walls. Waitrose and Natraj provided refreshments; Community Payback worked separately on private service roads. Enormous fly-tipping behind Station Parade — estimated at 2–3 skip loads — was left pending ownership checks, with waste spilling into Alexandra Park.

Alexandra Park

Fri 29 Mar 2024

25 volunteers, including the Alexandra Park Friends Group, collected 56 bags from Alexandra Avenue, Alexandra Close and the park. Clearing rotting waste along the park edge by Station Parade alone took two volunteers a full hour. A discarded charity box still containing a £10 note was found and later restored to the charity. An ad hoc check of Alexandra Avenue the next day found a full bag of fresh litter plus new fly-tips — roughly suggesting around 30 bags a month on that single road if left unchecked.

South Harrow High Street (Easter Sunday)

Sun 31 Mar 2024

24 volunteers collected 83 bags from the High Street and immediate surroundings — only three days after the previous street clear. Flats at 180–188 Northolt Road were again a constant fly-tip hotspot, with waste on the pavement and in tree branches; evidence was reported to Enforcement. Rough sleeper sites, strewn clothing by South Hill Avenue donation containers, and intimidating use of benches opposite the tube station underscored ongoing antisocial behaviour in the area.

Thank you!

Thanks go to every volunteer who took part, to Friends of Roxeth Recreation Ground, the Alexandra Park Friends Group and Newton Farm Ecology Park volunteers (Harrow Nature Conservation Forum), and to Police Safer Neighbourhood Teams who joined on five days. We are grateful to Costa Coffee, Waitrose South Harrow and Natraj for refreshments and waste disposal support, to TfL for joining a High Street session, to Harrow Council’s Street Cleansing teams for swift bag removal, and to Council officers and the Community Payback team who worked alongside us in the second week.