Beverley Brook Update

Following the completion of the recent restoration project along the Wimbledon Common section of Beverley Brook, the Maintenance Team have continued with their involvement along this section of the Commons. During the past few months, operations have included tree safety work, the removal of Himalayan balsam from various sections of the brook and numerous visits to remove litter

Unfortunately, one of the biggest problems that we face in keeping our section of the Brook free of litter is caused by the sheer volume of water that travels along this route whenever it rains. Simply put, heavy rain results in huge amounts of litter being washed down stream from the more urban areas upstream which is then deposited along the banks as soon as the water level drops.

Previously the litter would have moved on downstream  to Richmond Park and on in to the Thames without anyone really noticing it.  

Several options have been considered to deal with the litter, including the installation of a boom at the furthest point upstream on the Common. While this may sound like a sensible approach to the problem, the ‘flashy’ nature of the Beverley Brook would simply mean that at times of heavy rain, any accumulated litter would soon be flushed over the boom leaving us with the same problem that we already face.

The solution is therefore more litter picks.

While our staff and volunteers currently manage monthly litter picks of the Brook, more obviously needs to be done and our Conservation and Engagement Officer is looking to initiate a volunteer litter picking group which will be able to help out with this problem.  If you are interested in becoming involved with this new group on the Commons, please contact peter@wpcc.org.uk 

The Maintenance Team litter picking along the Beverley Brook on the 23rd September 2019. During this visit, 15 full black bags of litter were removed as well as deck chair cushions, a plastic tarpaulin and an assortment of footballs. On other litter picking visits, we have also removed builder’s pallets, road cones, suit cases, a golf bag, bicycle parts and even a large arm chair.

While much of this work has been carried out by the Commons’ Maintenance Team, volunteers from the South East Rivers Trust (SERT) and the Geo-cache community have also been very active in helping us to keep the Brook clear of litter.

Volunteers from SERT helping out with a spot of litter picking along the Beverley Brook. During this particular visit, the group removed 42 full black bin bags of rubbish, a golf bag, a wooden pallet, three road cones and numerous shapes and sizes of balls.

Footpath - the funding that we had hoped to get to carry out some restoration work to the footpath along the Brook unfortunately did not come to fruition but we are still looking at fundraising options for this work.