I know that Burnt Oak is usually written off as the armpit of leafy Barnet (I believe Barnet Borough Council lists it as a deprived area) but the condition of Watling Park is way beyond a joke.

The grass is cut and the litter bins are emptied but that is all. The park is an unsightly mess of drinks cans, bottles, plastic bags, fast food cartons, and even discarded furniture.

The stream is especially bad, almost blocked in places by all kinds of rubbish, even a supermarket trolley at the moment.

I have lived in Burnt Oak long enough to remember when a park keeper kept the place looking decent. Those days are sadly long gone. But would it really be so difficult and expensive to take a bit more care of this precious little patch of green in an otherwise not very salubrious area?

Allan Smith

Orange Hill Road, Burnt Oak