Time to tackle Pavilion Gardens ‘disgusting’ goose poo problem says Buxton residents
Residents have had enough and say that something needs to be done to tackle the goose poo problem that has gotten out of hand in Buxton’s Pavilion Gardens.
Jess Smith contacted the Buxton Advertiser after taking a walk through the Gardens and seeing what a terrible state it is in.
She said: “In the last three years we have seen the ducks disappear and the geese take over. The impact of this is huge. They are territorial, vicious and extremely dirty. They have destroyed the greens, plucking them bare and frequently fill them with excrement.”
She noted that between the Old Hall entrance right up to the riverbank opposite the pool there was not a single picnic blanket, not a single ball game and whilst the playgrounds were busy the beautiful space was bare due to goose poo.
She also says the park is infested with rats and the boating lake is not being cleaned and she recently spotted two dead birds in the lake.
She said: “ It's disgusting.
“When I was walking my dog I was extremely disgusted by the amount of unavoidable excrement I noted amongst many other toxic things in the lake, two dead birds. This is at least the third time in the last month.
“We don't need alfresco dining or unaffordable luxury apartments or open pretty riversides. We need to preserve what we have before planning on adding more.”
Another reader who has lived in Buxton for 54 years is also angry about the situation.
They said: “The gardens used to be the jewel in the crown in Buxton when I was growing up.
“There were mowed lawns, manicured flowerbeds and a safe space for all to enjoy.
“Now all we have to enjoy and attract visitors to the town are messy lawns and all pathways covered in goose poo. “This is a public health hazard with the Gardens containing E coli, Salmonella, campylobacter parasites and possible avian flu.
“Does the council do nothing to clean up and protect the public.
“We pay an awful lot for our council tax. When will we see a return for our money?”
Melandra Smith, Derbyshire County Councillor for Buxton is also aggrieved by the state of the gardens and the abundance of goose poo.
She said she acknowledges efforts made by High Peak Borough Council over the last couple of years, including the introduction of signs asking people not to feed the water birds, as well as waterside planting and habitat management measures.
She said: “Concerns continue to be raised regarding the sheer volume of goose droppings on footpaths and grassed areas there being little or none of the park one can visit without treading in excrement, the condition of parts of the lawns due to serious overgrazing by the geese, and the impact that large numbers of geese are having on the overall visitor experience.”
She says what is needed now is a ‘better balance between wildlife conservation and public enjoyment of the Gardens’.
She suggested the council look into humane methods of keeping the goose population down and suggested egg oiling which is a humane wildlife management technique that prevents goose eggs from hatching by coating them with oil, effectively controlling local populations.
The Buxton Advertiser has contacted High Peak Borough Council for a response.