Haringey Council fails to have the necessary by-laws to protect the borough’s open spaces it has emerged. After incidents last week when Queens Wood in Highgate and the Parkland Walk were invaded by campers, local Liberal Democrats have unearthed that Haringey Council and the police do not have sufficient powers to move them on.

By-laws are used to protect open spaces such as Alexandra Park but no laws cover Parkland Walk or Queens Wood, which are both on the national list of Local Nature Reserves. Local Liberal Democrats have written to Haringey Council to ensure that firm steps are taken to introduce by-laws to protect Haringey’s green spaces.

Cllr David Winskill, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Leisure, comments:

“This is a shocking failure on behalf of Haringey Council to not have by-laws in place to protect our parks and nature reserves. I understand that some initial work is now being done by Haringey Council to rectify this but after so many years of this Labour administration, the lack of by-laws is almost beyond belief, and the work must be progressed urgently.”