Illegal swimmers have been told to “stay at home” and “take a cold shower” as another heatwave reaches its peak in London.
The City of London Corporation, which manages the Heath, has been tackling an onslaught of illegal swimmers bathing in undesignated ponds, including the Model Boating Pond.
Gregory Jones KC, the chair of the Hampstead Heath committee at the corporation, said that people seeking relief from the sun, were “better staying at home” and taking “a cold shower” instead of disturbing the wildlife sanctuary at the 800-acre site.
He labelled the behaviour “appalling”, adding that getting hot was “no excuse” for jumping into a wildlife pond.
“The excuses are pathetic and disgraceful. Before you go to an open space on a really hot day, think, is it really something you want to do?,” he said.
There has been a clear correlation between bad behaviour and hot weather, according to the Alderman. This includes a number of “violent” and “verbal” assaults on lifeguards, constabulary officers, and park rangers, who have been tasked with stopping illegal swimmers.
He added: “Every pound we spend on some idiot jumping into a pond and doing damage to the habitat is a pound that should be spent on the habitat and making [Hampstead Heath] a better place for the people of London.”
Hampstead Heath, unlike many of London’s other green spaces, is not maintained by council tax contributions. It is entirely funded by commercial property investments, rents, and investment returns, and comes at no cost to the public.
Yet many visitors at the Heath have expressed fury at having to pay to use swimming facilities or not having enough places to swim.
Alderman Gregory insisted the Hampstead Heath committee was “doing their bit” in London with a state-of-the-art lido and three freshwater bathing ponds.
He added that ticketing was essential for public safety. Prior to Covid-19, the Heath did not require booking in advance to access blue spaces.
The City of London Corporation has been under pressure to confront the illegal swimmers, including from environment ministers Mary Creagh and Emma Hardy, after videos emerged of swimmers paddling just metres away from a bevy of swans during nesting season in May.
Extra signage has been erected while the corporation has hired extra external security in addition to its own constabulary and collaboration with the Met Police.
Questions have been asked about how financially sustainable such measures will be, especially as heatwaves could become more frequent.
Alderman Jones said the Heath will be looking at planting reeds, nettles, and brambles to deter swimmers, but that a multi-strand approach using education, policing, and coordination with government authorities would be used in the future.
