Photos

Harrow & Wealdstone High Street

Sat 18 Mar 2023

About 25 volunteers, including Gareth Thomas MP and several councillors, worked from the rail station along the High Street to Locket Road and the side roads between the High Street and Cecil Road, collecting 50 bags removed almost immediately by Council teams. Fly-tips were reported in Wolseley Road, near Palmerston Road car park and at Grant Road. A kitchen knife was found among litter at the station bike stands; private land behind Costa Coffee and at nearby flats was heavily fly-tipped; the station car park and Ellen Webb Drive bushes were also badly affected, with human faeces making clearance hazardous.

Byron Park

Mon 20 Mar 2023

6 volunteers cleared Byron Park, the cemetery and leisure centre car park, collecting 38 bags (29 at first, then 9 more across a wider South Wealdstone stretch). Playing fields were relatively clear; most waste sat in perimeter areas. Cemetery mesh bins were filling with dog-faeces bags, and a “drinker’s den” with suspected cannabis use was found at the north-east corner by the Belmont Trail. One crisp packet dated from 1981.

Station & Ellen Webb Drive

Tue 21 Mar 2023

3 volunteers returned to the bushes between the station and car park towards Ellen Webb Drive, collecting 17 bags from a small but filthy area made hazardous by human faeces and toilet roll in the bushes. Work then extended to Herga Road and the alley to the flyover for another 5 bags. Large amounts of litter under the flyover were inaccessible behind a locked gate and reported as a fly-tip. Overflowing bins on Palmerston Road and further fly-tips in Grant Road and Aberdeen Road were also reported.

Belmont Trail

Wed 22 Mar 2023

8 volunteers cleared the southern end of the Belmont Trail from the leisure centre, collecting around 55 bags including unbagged items. The Trail is normally cleared monthly by its Friends group with HLP support, and had recently yielded knives and other weapons. Of especial concern was a large area carpeted in dog faeces — possibly thrown over a neighbouring fence — reported to the Council as a serious health hazard.

Locket Road & surrounds

Thu 23 Mar 2023

4 volunteers covered Locket Road, Belmont Road, Stuart Road and Warham Road, collecting about 17 bags, then a further 10 bags from Canning Road, the service road behind High Street shops, Peel Road, George Gange Way, High Street and Palmerston Road, plus nitrous oxide canisters and small fly-tips. A vacant plot by 96 Locket Road was a long-running private fly-tip source; bus stops without bins were heavily littered; Aberdeen Road to the north also needed attention.

Archery Close

Fri 24 Mar 2023

8 volunteers (including 2 from Police SNT) cleared the green space near Archery Close on Stuart Road / Warham Road — a frequent fly-tip site — collecting 32 bags removed immediately by Council teams who arrived on seeing the group at work. Evidence pointing to a local fly-tipping source was passed to Enforcement. A large private-land fly-tip behind Archery Close was reported online; suspected drug dealing and number plates from stolen vehicles were passed to police.

Avondale Road & Archery Close

Sat 25 Mar 2023

A singleton session covered Avondale Road, Ronart Street, Archery Close, Stuart Road and Tagore Close (bushes and an inaccessible build-up near the sports pavilion), collecting about 5 bags. A resident tip-off led to fly-tip reports at both ends of Stirling Road.

George Gange Way

Mon 27 Mar 2023

5 volunteers tackled George Gange Way and were joined by a Channel 5 news crew covering nitrous oxide use, collecting about 25 bags. HLP featured briefly on Channel 5 news that evening.

Herga Road & Masons Avenue

Wed 29 Mar 2023

2 volunteers collected over 12 bags from Herga Road, Masons Avenue, Oxford Road and Christchurch Avenue, including another clear of the alley and staircase from Herga Road to the flyover, which had filled again. Rubbish below the staircase remained locked away. Many front gardens along Masons Avenue and Herga Road were overflowing, with litter blowing into the street.

George Gange Way (return)

Thu 30 Mar 2023

5 volunteers returned to George Gange Way, especially the bushes outside the Gladstone Way car park, collecting about 35 bags with more still needed. Thorny growth had encased years of rubbish; the bushes showed signs of being used as toilets and for antisocial behaviour. Credit, Oyster and ID cards suggested possible theft. A serious rat infestation was noted behind the temple by the roundabout, with local residents reporting property damage.

High Street return & northwest

Sat 1 Apr 2023

9 volunteers revisited the opening-day area and remaining northwest streets, collecting around 50 bags — almost matching day one, as historical and fresh litter were both cleared. Further bags came from Grant Road, Thompson Road, Gordon Road and Wolseley Road. Greenleaf Way was left as private land but showed heavy litter and rats; a large visible fly-tip on the Ellen Webb Drive grass slope was reported. Some bushes on Ellen Webb Drive and George Gange Way remained for later visits.

Thank you!

Thanks go to every volunteer who took part, to Gareth Thomas MP and the councillors who joined the opening High Street session, and to Police Safer Neighbourhood Officers who supported later clears. We are especially grateful to Harrow Council’s Street Cleansing teams and managers, who often loaded bags onto lorries as soon as they were filled, and to the individual street cleaners whose daily work was clearly visible on recently cleaned roads. Close co-operation between volunteers and Council teams made this first ward-wide campaign possible.