A spate of fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour in Epping Forest has sparked a call for visitors respect green spaces and ‘leave no trace’.

The City of London Corporation (CoLC), which protects Epping Forest, is urging all visitors to act responsibly when visiting and take care of the natural environment.

As lockdown restrictions have eased, coupled with soaring temperatures, the area has seen an increase in visitors.

Over recent weekends CoLC has reported problems which could end up leaving permanent damage, including:

  • Littering and fly tipping especially alcoholic drink bottles and picnic food wrappers.
  • BBQs in areas where they are not permitted, damaging grassland and causing fire risks.
  • People not closing gates behind them, putting the safety of animals at risk
  • Cyclists not giving way, cycling too fast, or using paths they shouldn’t be and dogs not being kept under control, which could disturb wildlife and people not picking up after dogs.

Oliver Sells QC, chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Open Spaces and City Gardens Committee, said: “We are really keen for people to continue using and enjoying our open spaces, but we urge everyone to be considerate and respectful to the environment when doing so.

“We just want to remind people to leave the space as they found it. For example, we are seeing a huge increase in people using disposal BBQs which are not permitted and present a huge fire danger as well as being damaging for the grasslands and forests.

“We’re delighted to welcome new and returning visitors to our beautiful green spaces but ask everyone to act responsibly when visiting so we can protect and conserve these areas.”

Current guidelines allow up to six people to gather outdoors – as long as individuals from different households continue to stay two metres apart.

The City Corporation is reminding people not to try to use facilities that have been closed for safety reasons, including bathing ponds and gym equipment, which also puts unnecessary pressure upon staff who manage open spaces and emergency services.

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