~ 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_...
Tags for Forum Posts: downhills park, drug, excrement, faeces, homelessness, local, owners, park, poo, poop, More…shit
Thanks Alison for that informative post. Another area of my enormous ignorance revealed.
Couldn't resist this.."Dogs DO NOT eat other dog/animal faeces" … well you just don't know doggies…i know two that eat both cat and dog poo.! Don't ask! I'm sure other dog owners will concur….
Yes, there's a whole spectrum between actually sleeping on the streets to having your own bathroom and bedroom. Not just vans but some of the nicer cars in Tottenham seem to be owned by young men who have no fixed abode but are able to lay temporary claim to a bathroom and bedroom a few nights a week.
On top of this, and I'm not sure they're still doing it, is the council's predilection for housing their statutory obligations in B&B accommodation. This is where the nappies on Duckett's Common used to come from. As I said, I'm not sure they still do this.
We use Downhills Park a lot and have noticed this as well. For a while there was a caravan parked on Downhills Park Road and a couple of times we saw people leave the caravan and walk into park with toilet roll in hand. Caravan now gone but clearly problem is quite widespread from lots of different walks of life.
Complaining to council definitely worth it. We've had some success with other issues however going to the community police team. They patrol the park every day and have amped up their presence in light of some increased gang activity in the park after the cafe closed down. If lots of people tell them to look out for this issue they can help crack down on it. Contact details here:
http://content.met.police.uk/Team/Haringey/WestGreen
Not that this will solve the bigger issue of facilities and support for the people using the park as a toilet. Public loos would be a start here but in meantime there must be something that can be done to stop this awful public health menace. Lots and lots of babies and toddlers in the park everyday.
Are you sure it's human, can you tell by the taper?, bet it's covered in flies by now.
Not to put you off your dinner but when i am talking about poo, i am talking about the difference between a dog / animal poo which comes in 'logs' or solid pieces. The HUMAN poo i am talking about is basically a HUGE pile of diarrhoea similar in presentation to a cow-pat. You cannot believe how foul it is.
In addition to this, yes, the presence of toilet paper, wet wipes or newspaper next to said pile, smeared in poo, is proof.
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