Litter louts left piles of rubbish in their wake after enjoying the warm weather in Verulamium Park, just days after vandals trashed the new play area.
Park rangers were out in force this morning clearing bottles, cans and other rubbish which had been dumped around the park by people making the most of the sun and relaxation of lockdown restrictions.
Inn on the Park posted pictures of the rubbish on their Facebook page: "Fairly short of speechless this morning! ITS ALMOST A SEA OF LITTER! If you are clever enough to buy & get your stuff to the park...TAKE YOUR LITTER HOME!"
The mess reflects a similar problem during the first lockdown, when a percentage of park users contributed to excess waste left scattered around the city beauty spot.
Joe Tavernier, head of community services for SADC, said: “It is fabulous to see so many people enjoying and exploring our parks and open spaces, but it’s a shame that some are spoiling it for others by failing to clear up after themselves.
“Litter is unsightly, bad for the environment and a potential hazard to wildlife while debris such as broken glass can present a danger to young children.
“Our park rangers are doing a fantastic job in trying to keep the park tidy and we have introduced extra resources and new measures to help such as extra bin-emptying rounds.
“We would urge people to support the rangers by not dropping litter and disposing of it properly instead."
The littering comes days after yobs attempted to trash the new £250,000 play area on the nights of March 20 and 21.
A council spokesperson said: “The playground was defaced with graffiti and other material while an attempt had been made to set alight to play equipment.
“Some bottles had been smashed, scattering broken glass across the area – potentially exposing a young child to serious injury. Fortunately, though, no one was hurt.
“The playground had to be closed during one of the busiest times of the week as staff cleared up the mess
“We would urge anyone who witnessed this antisocial behaviour or knows who is responsible to contact the police and provide them with the details. We will take all measures that we can to protect it from further abuse."
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