CROYDON IN CRISIS: Contractors working for the cash-strapped local authority have used ‘recycled waste’ instead of hardcore for a path, leaving shards of glass, pieces of computer motherboard and broken plastic across a cherished local nature reserve

Regular users of South Norwood Country Park are already aggrieved with their local council, which has done little or nothing to repair, rebuild and bring back into use the visitor centre in the park.

The visitor centre has stood empty and unused for almost four years, since it was victim of fire during the covid lockdown.

But now the park users feel that they have been victims of what one calls “a special level of incompetence” by the cash-strapped council.

Contractors working for Croydon recently resurfaced one of the paths through the wild and rugged nature reserve, which is daily used by hundreds of members of the public, including runners, walkers, mums with small children and dog walkers.

The council resurfaced one of the paths last year, using the usual kind of industrial hardcore, comprising stones and rubble. That all seemed satisfactory.

But this year, the contractors used “recycled waste”.

It turns out that they have used a batch of hardcore that includes sharp shards of plastic, metal and even broken glass.

“For paving. Broken glass and loose paving,” a shocked resident says, underlining the obvious flaw in some Baldrick at the council’s cunning plan.

The council didn’t seem to be aware of what hazardous materials were included in the “recycled” hardcore until someone in a local dog-walking group emailed them with photographs showing bits of computer motherboard and shards of glass on the ground in the park.

Last month, an official council sign was put up.

It amounts to an admission of failure by the council with which lawyers specialising in public liability would no doubt make significant claims on behalf of any clients.

“WARNING” it states, in huge great capital letters on the background of Croydon Council’s purple colour scheme.

“The following section of footpath is surfaced with loose material that includes sharp objects and small pieces of glass.” Some park users who have seen the pathway suggest that the “small pieces of glass” description might not be entirely accurate.

The warning sign continues: “We apologise for the inconvenience and are working to resolve the issue.”

But weeks later, and little or nothing seems to have been done about the pathway in a public park which Mayor Jason Perry’s council has made dangerous for the public.

“There are hundreds of pieces of broken glass glinting up at you,” according to one park user after using the path.

“So did the council not properly check what this ‘recycled waste’ consisted of? Or were they scammed by the contractor?

“And how are they going to resolve this? I worry they’re simply going to put another layer of something over the top and, in six months, all the broken glass will start to appear again, with the plastic leaching itself into our very special piece of countryside.”

The resident and now cautious park user equates what the council has done in South Norwood Country Park to fly-tipping.

“We’re not quite sure how they can complain about fly-tipping when the council themselves seem to have arranged for someone to fly-tip a load of completely inappropriate and dangerous material over a huge section of pathway.

“It’s a special level of incompetence.”

Croydon Council were approached for a comment, but had not responded by the time of publication.

Read more: Locals petition Perry over neglect of South Norwood reserve
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Read more: Arson, vandalism, neglect: our parks abandoned to their fate

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