The Massive Problem of Human Poo in Our Local Parks

~ NOT FOR THE FAINT-HEARTED ~

As far as i can tell from many friends in different boroughs, this is a problem not exclusive to my local park and seems to blight pretty much every London park.  However, many of you who do not own dogs may not be aware of this problem. 

There is an extremely serious and profuse problem in Downhills Park with human faeces.

On a daily basis there are new faeces in the park, not only in wooded, shrubby areas but also in completely open areas such as on open grass, bases of trees or on the field etc.!

Apart from the obvious disgust and stench it causes, It is also a massive health hazard to children, park visitors, dog owners as well as dogs who have been made violently ill and have even died from consuming human faeces produced from drug-abusers (the human waste contains EDIT: drugs).  Have you ever had to clear up dog-vomit that was made up of 100% human poo? COME ON HARINGEY, HELP US?!?!?

Any responsible dog owner (who by the way, all make sure they clean up after their dog's own mess - dog mess is pretty much eradicated in Downhills) can confirm to you that the problem of human excrement is a massive one because dogs tend to sniff out and eat the human faeces. Sadly, our cute 4-legged friends have a very dark and unpleasant side.

Dogs DO NOT eat other dog/animal faeces (EDIT: apparently some dogs do eat other animal poo eg: fox or cat poo) which is how this poo is identifiable. There are often wet-wipes, newspaper or toilet roll papers accompanying the mess which also indicate that it's human in nature. It is not just drug-addicts and homeless doing this, many dog walkers i know have witnessed people actually defecating and walking away, as well as parents letting children defecate in open areas and walking away. I myself have seen men enter the park, enter the bushes and 10 mins later come out the bushes pulling their trousers up (apparently dressed for work!).

Myself and my dog-walking friends try to text eachother when we come across human faeces to try to warn and avoid their dogs also getting into the mess.  Most days, us dog-owners are having to bring our dogs with human excrement around their faces into our houses to bathe them and clean/disinfect ourselves and our houses. Do you have any idea how much of a nightmare this is?

I have used this park for 2.5 years and in the last 1 year the problem has become extreme. Because now the human poo is right there in the middle of the grass for any child to come across.

I know many people who are very concerned about this and feel threatened by the drug addicts and drug dealers who are frequenting the park as well as homeless people but feel they are powerless to do anything about it. A petition was apparently ignored by Haringey council, surprise surprise. I know that public toilets can be breeding grounds for drug abuse but surely it would help eradicate this foul problem?  On another note, they are planning on using part of the park land to build tall flats, so surely the extra people around will only add fuel to the fire?

I have today written a complaint on the Council's reporting page.

If you have the same concerns please also report it!

https://eforms.secure.haringey.gov.uk/ufs/ufsmain?formid=REPORTING_...