including Beech Bottom Dyke and Sandridge Road Wastes
Much to our relief, the campers that occupied two tents in a grassy glade for about four months have now left, but not without leaving a lot of rubbish.
It seems ironic that the occupiers should have chosen to leave just as much improved September weather sets in. We don’t know the area that they used as a toilet, so it is worth keeping clear of the area (see here) for now, especially with a dog.
The council have been informed about the site – hopefully clearance can be arranged soon – it was.
Illegal camping on Bernards Heath
Small tents have briefly appeared on the Heath in recent years and have soon disappeared again, although not without leaving rubbish and occasionally a tent.
However, illegal camping reached new levels in May this year when several tents, large and small appeared. Naturally, this was a concern to all users of the Heath, particularly because no toilet facilities exist on the Heath. Two dogs have reportedly fallen ill following exercise in this area. Fires often lit by the campers in the blue tent below are on wooded land present a hazard.
Camping near Heath Farm Lane – click arrow on the right of the image to see more
Camping near Edmund Beaufort Drive
Aerial Photos from Google
FoBH has contacted local agencies to try to get the campers to move on:
In May, nagging for action by FoBH resulted in a police visit. Notes were taken, but no further action was forthcoming.
St Albans District Council (SADC) took legal advice and instructed the tent owners to leave no later than Friday 19th May at 12pm. They did not. The campers in the original tent near the two oaks clearing did eventually move on, leaving a pile of rubbish. This is almost always the case.
In June SADC (which administers the land) contacted the Althorp Estate, asking them to exercise their common law right as the landowner. No action taken, although Althorp Estate bailiffs have been successful in getting Travellers to move on in the past.
A letter to Daisy Cooper MP resulted in an approach to SADC to see where they are at with the investigation. They have also asked the Althorp Estate to act.
The Althorp Estate is not willing to exercise their common law rights as the landowner, because of a lease agreement between Althorp and SADC.
SADC will continue to explore further ways of removing campers.
Photos: PC, MN
There was quite a reasonable turnout, on a day which was cold with sunny periods. Not a lot of litter to be found, although several bags were collected – thank you everyone for your help.
In the 1930s, St Albans Council erected a combined bus shelter and public toilets in the south corner of Heath Field. Sometime in the early 1980s, the building was demolished, leaving some laurel bushes which were common landscaping accompaniments to such facilities.
Continue reading “A sweet Smell of Success”
Thank you everybody who helped with our Action Day on November 17th 2019
A lovely sunny but cold November Action day attracted a good number of helpers, who:
1 and 2 Collected litter and other rubbish – including a sleeping bag
3 cleared a section of hedge in Heath Farm Lane
4 cleared a substantial fallen branch close to Luton (Spinney) Lane.
Your bike? – this one was found on the Heath, and in another location the child’s bike below.
Travellers make a very unwanted return to the old Fire Station site following a recent earlier break in. They moved sturdy fencing and heavy blocks to dump more rubbish. See above and below. Update: it has been cleared again at considerable cost to SADC.
Sunny weather on Sunday 23 April may have helped us, for about a dozen people turned out to remove litter (see inset) and clear growth around the top of the Dyke. The bluebells made it a picture and their smell was wonderful, especially at the eastern end of the Dyke, near the railway. Only native bluebells smell so strongly. Well done everyone who helped.
