To everyone who turned up for the big clean up effort around the PDSA Thamesmead this afternoon - I cannot thank you enough for your hard work today.
Together, we did an amazing job of transforming the area, in spite of there being a many huge fly-tipped items to contend with, including four mattresses, a fridge and myriad car parts, in addition to the endless sea of litter.
Along with all the usual beer cans, face masks and plastic bags, we also found multiple golf balls, a bag of rotten fish, several large bottles of urine, a snooker cue, five pairs of secateurs, an inflatable palm tree and a grass skirt...
We also found lots of hibernating snails who we tried our best not to disturb.
We have dragged the larger items in a pile and are have reported them to the council, though it remains to be seen if they will be collected. The black bags full of litter, which we lost count of in the end because there were just so many, we will slowly begin taking to the the tip over the next few days.
Amazingly the nearest tip, Nathan Way Reuse and Recycling Centre, is a six minute drive from this location - so there's absolutely no excuse for dumping items in this spot, but that's the selfishness of people for you.
Not all of them though, some of them are good - and everyone who showed up today proved that. Through our collective efforts, we've made this area a safer and a more pleasant place for animals and people alike. Thank you!