Human faeces, needles and needle wrappers and piles of rubbish and discarded bedding have been festering in bushes at Ellington Park for weeks despite being reported to Environmental Health, says resident Mark Pawlowicz.
Mark, best known as Pav, says people had been living in and using drugs in the area for months, leaving just before an eviction letter was served, but the mess remains several weeks after he first reported it to Thanet council.
Ramsgate Town Council operative Maxine Morgan placed barriers around the site Friday (October 28) ahead of the park being used for family Halloween activities yesterday but, Pav says, another person pitched up their tent amid the mess on Friday night.
He said: “The bushes are next to the park keeper’s house and there have been drug users living there for a few months. They finally moved on but left behind piles of human waste, needles and rubbish. It has been closed off with plastic barriers but another person has now gone in and pitched another tent.
“It’s quite a mess and in a park used by children. The council hasn’t dealt with it. I phoned Environmental Health a few weeks ago and they listed it as urgent but it is all still there and now it is attracting rats.
“It is an unhygienic, hazardous mess in a children’s park. It’s shocking.”
A second site in Ramsgate has suffered similar problems overnight. Rubbish and used needles have been discarded at St Laurence Church graveyard.
Two council workers who were on their rounds to empty bins pitched in to clear the mess at the graveyard.
The most recent rough sleeper count recorded 11 people on the streets in Thanet and 45 people receiving assistance from the RISE homelessness team.
Thanet council receives around 1,000 homelessness applications each year.
Get advice
https://www.thanet.gov.uk/info-pages/advice-for-private-rented-tenants/
https://www.porchlight.org.uk/
Thanet council Housing Team 01843 577277
this behaviour will never stop around here , this area has gone too far down the pan now , theres no turning back it will just get worse im afraid
I have to AGREE with u.
Do not be so defeatest
The problem is Thanet Council.They never pick up any litter anx if it wasnt for volunteers it would lokk even worse.Councillors arent interested either.The so called Green Wards in the area are yhe most litterd.The standards seg by our local government and council almost makes it acceptable to throw litter.Im 66 years old and Thanet is quite easily the dirtiest place I have ever lived.I have been to cleaner Third World countries.
Dropping a cigarette butt in Cecil Square will provide you with infinitely more chance of being noticed by TDC and then being dealt with!
Is this Tracey’s latest fundraising event?
Peter that is unfair on Tracey at least she puts money in to the community may not be to everyone’s liking but it’s her money and who am i to say what she does with it, how would you like it if Tracey or someone else said it was like what you write in your books, no Im not saying it is as I’ve not read your books yet as I will not purchase anything from amazon and other book sellers don’t seem to have or stock any shame. It is not nice peter
Ms. Emin and anyone else famous can say whatever they want about my books (I could do with the publicity!).
Welcome to the UK after years of local government cut backs! I’m not pointing fingers at any specific political Party but it has become the standard belief among politicians that you daren’t put up taxes or local Community charges but you CAN starve local Councils of cash as no-one will object.
So Councils around the country(not just here in Thanet) just have no money and fewer staff to employ to carry out the basic tasks such as clearing rubbish like this.
For that matter, nor do they have the money(or statutory role) to build and provide housing for some of the people who sleep rough. Nor do they provide medical services for drug users like they used to.
These days it’s just “stand on your own two feet” and “don’t expect the Nanny state to help you”.
So some people end up in tents in the park, some dull the misery with drugs, and other local citizens have to volunteer to clear up the mess.
You get what you vote for.
Yet they have money to contribute to “art” projects.
To have a go at this government for spending too much on the “arts” is a bit of weird one given how much they have wasted elsewhere. This is just whataboutery/trolling.
I really can’t think of anything more wasteful than spending money on non-profitable art projects. Spend it on cleaning and maintanance instead!
Quite how much money do you suggest should be thrown at the issue? How much has TDC spent on the facility in St.Johns road Margate, with all its in house services and support staff/groups, then there was the 3 plus million the council received just recently to help deal with homelessness over the next 3 years.
It’s all very well thinking that ever more money is the answer but this creates the moral hazard of potentially creating an environment so comfortable for those being helped that there is no incentive for them to change their ways.
I’m surprised that this has not been happening since before the pandemic as to the amount of drugs easily available in Ramsgate alone, I reckon it is because a couple of dens have been shut down they have had to find somewhere else to go,it’s OK putting temporary barriers up but kids like to play in the park and won’t take long to get through them to hide playing hide & seek, it needs clearing up and quickly and with those doing so using appropriate safety equipment,
The mess has remained severe weeks after being reported. That is a disgrace how can TDC get away withing knowingly leave used needles in a park ?
I think you should print TDC reply to this question. We are talking about a park where kiddies play yet the response from TDC, well there was no response.
We all know if this was close the the TDC art community it would have been moved asap.
It should not take weeks for TDC to remove needles etc. Why havent TDC got a specialist team on stand by ?
This has annoyed me, it’s a park and kids should be able to use a park safely.
The council will probably prefer to use external contractors. Dealing with such waste involves huge amounts of potential downside.
Risk assessments
Specially trained staff
Disposal facility for hazardous waste
Who is going to be prepared to sign an area off as being clean? Easy to miss a needle or piece of excrement.
Who carries the responsibility if someone is hurt after an area is cleaned?
How long after being cleaned is an area subject to the same behaviours?
To deal with the above to the letter of the law and with no danger of any comebacks is monumentally expensive.
It’s why volunteer work is encouraged , nothing is official and but things get improved for minimal cost
As a nation we’ve decided to accept drug abuse as a part of life, we don’t try to stop dealers and importers, we don’t lock up drug abusers. As a result we get plenty of downside.
Personally i’d establish state run “shooting galleries” where addicts can turn up and take as much of their drug of choice as they wish on the premises., provided by the state.Open 24/7. Next door you’d have a facility dedicated to helping those that wish to change their ways. The other side of the coin would be that any addict using these facilities and commits a crime is locked up. Dealers would have a much reduced customer base ( largely the middle class / working recreational user, who in general are less problematic) thus reduced numbers of dealers , so hopefully the authorities could catch them and dealcwith them appropriately. However of course it’s very unlikely that those involved in the drug supply industry are suddenly going to go straifght if their industry is downsized, so they’ll largely move to other areas of criminal endeavour.
Society is reaping what it has sown, the notion that it’s another problem that can be solved with the magic money tree is delusional.
As for st Laurence graveyard I’m not surprised at all they have allowed it to get overgrown all over, plenty of places to hide in there because of the overgrowth you can’t even look across the place and see properly because of the overgrowth, needs all cutting back for safety reasons anyone can hide and jump out on an innocent person strolling through there, hence why all the druggies are using it for sleeping etc because there hidden, get it all cut back how it use to be. As for Ellington park do the same then there’s no hiding places for them
We are supposed to feel sorry for these people I have seen the mess they have left behind,human waste in there too,they have toilets in the park they could use also hot water to use but they choose not to, now they have moved on to ruin somewhere else….
Seems so many local problems in so many places that have been allowed by people in charge.
Those in charge, rearrange there 4 words. In Bud The Nip. Answers on a postcard to yourselves.
Why is “Art” being used as an alternative to proper local services. the money for both comes from different government sources. If the money for art was suddenly withdrawn ,there is no reason to think it would suddenly be used for, say,street cleaning. It would just disappear back into the Westminster funds with any number of destinations, including tax cuts for rich people.
Am not all suprised whats happening in Thanet. Like where i live on the newington estate. St christophers church hall closed up,the grounds overgrown with weeds,and rubbish,fences round the alley ways torn down,been like that for months,kids hanging around up no good.
Ellington park sleeping out seems a good place for a temporary tent city for the new channel arrivers without papers, its a walled area so all good.
Shame we dont look after the thanet most vulnerable before those from other counties or countries.
Spot on.
Perhaps you think our “most vulnerable” citizens should be sent to the centre at Manston? That’s where those from “other countries” are being sent.
Stupid comment! So all the Albanians coming over are in fear of their lives in their own country? I don’t think so. Pure economic migrants sponging on the goodwill of this country.
In fear of there lives from there countries is utter crap, they travel through so many countries to get here that haven’t any war or problems, they come here as the other countries simply don’t want them and they know it’s easy money here for themselves
Many migranrs come to UK because we are useless at going through the process of deportation.We need to stop blaming the French for all the problems as well.I have lived in France and they seem to be able to deport people in 4 to 6 weeks.Not 4 to 6 years.This is why migrants come here,its not because we are angthing special its because we are totally inefficient.