Council urged to get strict with litter bugs on Meadows

A rubbish-strewn Meadows after the weekend's weather drew the crowds.

An estimated 50,000 people descended on the park for both the Taste of Edinburgh festival and just to enjoy the sun as temperatures soared over the weekend.

However, yesterday morning commuters and local residents were left to walk through a park covered in debris. Many had also evidently used disposable barbecues despite the council ban and the introduction of special concrete cooking slabs.

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Campaigners seeking to keep The Meadows tidy said grass charred by barbecues takes around a year to grow back, and that numerous patches only encourage partygoers to continue by appearing to be the norm. Dr Chris Wigglesworth, a former Meadows councillor and convenor of Friends of The Meadows and Bruntsfield Links, said: "We went round the park yesterday morning, and I think far too many people are burning the grass with these disposable barbecues.

"And only a very small number of people are using the concrete slabs that the council is trialling this year.

"The council needs to press on people far more heavily, (those] who do go against these rules. They've been far too relaxed with this.

"There are some residents that think that there should be a total ban on barbecues, but we don't want to stop people having a good time.

"We do, however, want to ensure The Meadows is kept in a good condition and not left charred and littered. It can take a year to grow back if the grass is burned and it doesn't look good."

He added: "We've also been pushing for years for the public toilets behind the pavilion to be reopened because you can't have people going to the toilet in public, even if they have children."

Southside/Newington Councillor Cameron Rose said: "I was among those on The Meadows and it was good to see so many people making use of it on such a beautiful weekend.

"The two issues were that the refuse arrangements could not cope and, secondly, some people just left their barbecues on the grass, which is a regular problem.

"However, I don't think we should let that overshadow how valuable and well used The Meadows is.

"The concrete patches have been a success, and I would encourage those that can't get to those to use stands so we can keep the grass in a good condition. You could tell that people were trying to put rubbish in the bin as they were overflowing considerably, so we do need some kind of arrangements for such busy weekends."

In response, the council said an extra eight large bins have been installed in The Meadows this summer to cope with demand. However, there are currently no fines for holding barbecues.

Councillor Robert Aldridge, the city council's environmental leader, said: "With the good weather yesterday, it is estimated that there were over 50,000 visitors to The Meadows.

"We diverted extra resources to deal with the clear-up this morning and the park was clear by 11am.

"Whilst we as a council are committed to ensuring that Edinburgh is as clean and tidy as possible, we depend on the public to assist us by making sure they dispose of their litter responsibly."