Summer heatwave in Crawley: Goffs Park falls foul to local litterbugs as Police pledge to tidy up anti-social behaviour

Residents took to social media to express their concerns about the amount of litter that is left by visitors in the park.

Paul Foote on the Friends of Goffs Park Facebook page, said: “Such a beautiful park, especially this week but an early morning dog walk was slightly ruined by overflowing rubbish. Crawley Borough Council, how do we deal with this? Bigger bins? More bins? More evening patrols?”

Friends of Goffs Park, the resident group who campaigns to protect and preserve the historical park, had its say on the current situation that the park is facing.

Chair of the Friends, Sue Herbert, commented: “It’s wonderful to see so many people enjoying Goffs Park this summer, but sadly there’s been an increase in litter problems, cans, bottles, fast food wrappers and other debris, and even evidence of drug use.

"It is also a bit worrying, given the recent fire risk with high temperatures, that used barbecues have been left on parched grass next to rubbish bins.

“Clearly some people feel they’ve cleared up well, but leaving full bags of litter next to bins means that the contents are scattered by animals and crows overnight.

“We are really grateful to all those who keep the park looking neat and tidy, especially the council team when they are working in such hot weather.”

A spokesperson for Sussex Police said: “As part of anti-social behaviour awareness week (July 18), PCSOs have been conducting high visibility patrols around Goffs Park today, engaging with members of the public about any of their concerns.

“Regular patrols are done by the neighbourhood policing team, aiming to prevent crime and ASB. If we are seen out on patrol, please feel free to ask us anything.”

Cllr Michael Jones, said: “We’re very pleased that people are enjoying our parks in Crawley during this beautiful weather and it is disappointing that a small number of people are showing a lack of consideration for others by leaving litter in the park rather than in the bins provided or taking this home with them.

“The Community Wardens carry out daily patrols of our parks and open spaces across the borough and as a result of the increased litter in Goffs Park, are now patrolling the park daily to deter this behaviour, promote the correct disposal of litter and to issue fixed penalty notices of £80 to those seen discarding their rubbish for others to clear up.

“The council is also reviewing our bin situation in the parks, however lots of the litter is often scattered away from the bins. Our dedicated parks team begin cleaning at 7am every day but it can take a couple of hours to cover the whole area. Quite a number of the photographs recently taken are by dog walkers going out in the early morning when clearly our teams won’t have had time to clear up what a large gathering may have left the previous evening. However, we are aware it is a problem and are very active every day in working to remove it, increasing resources to do so when that proves necessary.”

Cllr Duncan Crow, said: “There is never any excuse for littering and it is frustrating that a minority spoil our parks for everyone with their behaviour, but I would add this isn’t unique to Crawley. Even if bins are full, it isn’t rocket science that if people had the means to carry items into Goffs Park, then they also have the means to take the rubbish generated back home.

"For several years, the Labour-run Council were too soft and wouldn’t fine those blatantly dropping litter. Pressure from my Conservative colleagues and I forced a change into issuing fines again, but clearly more needs to be done to target those responsible and to make litter dropping more widely socially unacceptable.”

See more: Crawley’s Friends of Goffs Park ‘picnic in the park’ picture gallery: Here’s a look at the group’s celebrations in honour of the town’s 75th anniversary, Crawley Question Time 2022: Friends of Goffs Park ask ‘The kiosk is the heart of Goffs Park, and the park needs it back!’

This 50-acre site is one of Crawley's oldest public parks and just a short walk from the town centre. There are both formal parkland areas and semi-natural habitats. The mixture of grassland, woodland, a large pond and hedgerows provides a habitat for a good range of wildlife in this urban setting. There is a conservation area in the NW of the site that provides a sheltered, sunny habitat for a range of wildlife. The park is also used as a centre for a range of organised health-related activities.

Goffs Park is Crawley’s oldest park with evidence of a settlement dating back to at least the 1300s. Goffs Manor, situated in the south-eastern corner of the park, dates back to c1450. It was a farmhouse until the 1930s but before its conversion to a public house, the house was owned by the actor Peter Vaughan. Over the road from the manor is Goffs Park House, built in 1882. In the mid-1900s the house was acquired by Crawley Urban District Council for use as council offices. Goffs Park Estate was built during the 1950s, leaving over 20 hectares of public open space.

Goffs Park also features a light railway that operates by the Crawley Model Engineers, the light railway provides public passenger rides every Sunday 2–5pm from Easter to October.

You can access the park from car, bus and train. For train users: From Ifield station walk south and turn left onto Gossops Green Lane, continue walking east for seven minutes then use the pedestrian bridge over Crawley Avenue.

From Crawley station walk west until crossing the level crossing, then turn right onto Springfield Road, walk for six minutes until reaching Goffs Park.

If you would like your say, please email us at: [email protected]