Senior councillors in London’s south-east have expressed anger after another busy weekend left parks across the boroughs strewn with rubbish – with one authority re-instating £150 on-the-spot fines to tackle the issue.

Greenwich council leader Dan Thorpe and Bexley cabinet member Pete Craske both took to social media sharing images of bottles, bags and other waste left abandoned at parks across the neighbouring boroughs of Greenwich and Bexley.

“Absolutely appalling scenes in Avery Hill Park – selfish behaviour from some ruining the park for everyone else. If the bin is full, take your rubbish home,” Cllr Thorpe tweeted at the weekend. 

“Our parks across Greenwich are very busy and our staff aren’t here to pick up your rubbish.”

In response to questions over whether the council would install more bins to cater to swelling numbers of park-goers, Cllr Thorpe replied:  “More bins isn’t the answer, more responsibility is”.

Cllr Craske, Bexley’s cabinet member for places, expressed similar concerns about Danson Park, which had masses of trash strewn across it over Saturday and Sunday.

“Bexley is one the best places to live there is and everyone cares about our community. It’s so disappointing to see our parks being used as a giant litter bin by a small minority, spoiling it for everyone else,” Cllr Craske told the local democracy reporting service.

“Our teams are having to work really hard to clean this unwanted litter and I want to thank all our parks team for all their efforts and and thank everyone else who had been looking after our parks by taking their rubbish home with them. Together we can keep Bexley tidy.”

It comes after Bexley Council confirmed on-the-spot penalty notices of £150 would re-commence from June 1, to be issued to anyone caught littering or not clearing up after their dogs.

“We are proud of our borough, particularly our wonderful parks and open spaces. The recent changes to the social distancing guidelines mean that more people are using them safely, which is great. What isn’t great news is the mess that some people are leaving behind,” Cllr Craske said.

“Littering, dog fouling and fly tipping anywhere in a public place are all criminal offences. If you get a fine you will be out of pocket and you could get a record. Our message is clear: Residents back our zero tolerance of littering so clean up your mess or you will be fined.”