Fairground Personnel Intervene in Park Attack

Is Acton Park safer while fair is in town?

There was an incident last week in Acton Park which makes the presence of hundreds of caravans and Fairground rides look rather more welcome for Acton Residents. Men from the Fair intervened when a 60-year-old woman was attacked by three girls in the playground after she told them off for letting their dog urinate there.

Locals were first alerted to the incident when Catherine Mutter posted a message on the ActonW3.com Forum about it. Catherine said her mother: "was pushed to the ground. Her hair was pulled & her phone was stamped on."

She continued: "[My mother] was with my 12 week old son in his buggy and the girls only ran away when some people from the fairground came to help. The incident has been reported to the police."

While the intervention by people working in the Fair is welcomed by those horrified by this attack, users of the park have been wondering what procedures are in place to ensure that the rubbish levels there, which have recently improved, do not worsen during the coming weekend which is due to be sunnier than the Bank Holiday deluge.

We have to feel sorry for the Fair organisers who faced a weekend of torrential rain and cold temperatures which will have made the attraction less popular than it might have been this year.

We asked Ealing Council for clarification on various issues.

1. Whether good procedures are in place for dealing with rubbish - both from Fair users and organisers - and for the increase in rubbish in and around the Park.

2. Whether the extra rubbish collections necessary are being paid for by the Fun Fair.

3. When the extra rubbish collections/litter-picking will be taking place.

4. Whether fees for the use of the space will be directed back to Acton Park and not other Ealing Borough parks.

A Council spokesperson told us: "The Council liaises closely with Fair organisers to ensure the Park is respected. The Park will be litterpicked and the bins emptied throughout the day and this waste will be disposed of through our contractor. If any issues arise then we will be able to react quickly as both our Acton Ranger Service and grounds maintenance contractor are both located on site. Obviously we would hope that people enjoying the Fair will respect the Park and make use of the bins available to dispose of their waste responsibly."

To date, there has been no further response on the questions raised.

June 1, 2007