RIDDLESDOWN RESIDENTS' ASSOCIATION

BONFIRES

This is the text of a Council Press Release on the subject of bonfires:

Whenever the sun shines, Croydon Council’s environmental health officers notice a dramatic increase in the number of complaints from disgruntled neighbours about smoky bonfires. This summer has been no exception.

The Council is urging householders to think again before lighting a bonfire.

It is an offence to cause a bonfire nuisance and persistent offenders risk prosecution and fines of up to £5,000. Smoky bonfires are also harmful to the environment and can cause distress to people suffering with asthma or bronchial problems.

The best way of dealing with garden and household waste is to turn it into compost . Alternatively, it can be taken to one of the Council's three civic amenity and recycling centres at Purley, New Addington and Factory Lane where it is turned into compost for use in the Council's parks and gardens and for sale in local stores.

Anyone determined to burn waste should consider their neighbours by siting the bonfire in a remote area of the garden and burning only dry material to reduce smoke. Bonfires should never be left unattended.

The question of bonfire nuisance is to be considered in the Clean Air Strategy being produced by the Council’s environmental health service. A new code of practice relating to the control of pollution and noise from construction and demolition sites, which includes the lighting of bonfires, is about to go out to consultation and will be launched later this year.

Said director of environmental health and trading standards, Don Boon: "This summer we have had few really warm sunny days. And for some local residents even these have been spoiled by inconsiderate neighbours who have lit bonfires. We would ask those people who regularly light bonfires to be more considerate and to think about the harm smoky bonfires can do to the environment and to people who suffer with breathing problems.

"It makes far more sense to turn household and garden refuse into compost which can help save money otherwise spent on fertilisers as well as being more environmentally friendly.

"However, anyone who is determined to light a bonfire should first forewarn their neighbours and then take every precaution to ensure they do not create a smoke nuisance."

Anyone wishing to report a nuisance from a neighbour's bonfire should ring the environmental health department on 020 8760 5483.

PLEASE HAVE CONSIDERATION FOR YOUR NEIGHBOURS

By Simon Meek (Senior Keeper, Riddlesdown Common)
I was extremely saddened, frustrated and annoyed to be greeted by a pile of broken stone which was once the Riddlesdown Fountain, when I returned from a weeks holiday this summer. Initially I thought why bother attempting to reinstate the fountain on the site, but remembered how many people had commented how nice it would be for them, and their dogs, to take on board a slurp of cold water on a hot summer's day. For this reason I am not going to be deterred by the act of a few mindless vandals, and I am looking into a more resilient replacement, hopefully for next year, depending on funding.

Since the demolition of the fountain we have had an escalation in vandalism to trees and site infrastructure, possibly caused by the group that destroyed the fountain ( as the bottles of the same beer and spirit brands have been found each time). We have gone out on an ad hoc basis very late evening/early hours of the morning, but have not found anyone yet.

On occasions we have had reports the following day of motorbikes in the wood on a night or a group hanging around a particular area of the site, unfortunately this is too late. Please call the emergency number* on the byelaw boards, site notices and also on the back of this newsletter at the time. If you have any information that may help us to identify who is carrying out the damage call Merlewood Estate Office. The sites have byelaws that will enable us to pursue a prosecution, even though the police may be unable to.

* 24 hour Emergency Response Telephone No: 01372 279488

SOME INTERESTING HEALTH FACTS ABOUT CROYDON
 (with acknowledgement to Dr Nene's practice)
Croydon's population is 343,000 (North 139300 with 60 GPs, Central 126,000 with 68 GPs, South 77,100 with 30 GPs). Croydon has 67 doctor's practices and about the same number of pharmacies.
Mayday Hospital A&E treats over 100,000 patients a year.
64% of victims of crime are 10-19 years old. Half of offenders are 14-16 years old.
Croydon is one of the fastest growing districts for HIV in London - 360 residents had HIV-related treatment in the year 2000 and 1 in every 279 Croydon women giving birth is HIV positive - far above the national average.
Croydon has the lowest death rate from accidents in the country
About 31,000 Croydon people have a physical disability, 3800 a sensory impairment, 3400 a mental problem.
Some Croydon practices have twice the national rate of diabetic patients.

BIRDS ON THE LOCAL COMMONS
(With acknowledgements to the Corporation of London from whose West Wickham and Couldson Commons Newsletter April 2003 - September 2003, the article was taken.)

Our intrepid volunteer bird surveyors have been out and about over the last few months carefully recording all that can be seen or heard on the commons. Despite some inclement weather including "Cold, Heavy sky, Snowing" and "Low cloud, Misty, Very wet" our surveyors have provided us with detailed records of the bird life that can be found on three of the six commons.

At Riddlesdown we now have nearly four years of monthly records. This is developing into a valuable set of data which will show how bird populations fluctuate over the years. It may also give an indication of how our conservation management work affects our feathered friends. During the past year on Riddlesdown, 31 bird species were recorded including two chalk downland specialists: yellowhammer and black-cap. As in previous years, bluetits were the most commonly seen birds with numbers peaking from June to August when the juveniles leave their nests.

At Farthing Downs the survey started in June 2002. Since then, an incredible 41 species have been recorded. This has included rarities such as lesser whitethroat, spotted flycatcher, skylark (which breeds on the Downs), lesser-spotted woodpecker and a red kite, which was seen flying over head.

Our most recently recruited bird surveyor started at West Wickham Common in December 2002. In the three months to February 2003, 16 species were recorded. Most of these were woodland birds. This reflects the habitats found on the common. Of particular note are the high numbers of goldcrest. These pretty little birds, which are quite a bit smaller than a wren, were found on several areas of the common.

It will be interesting to see if they stay to breed there this spring!

What is striking from the three sites is the complete absence of house sparrows. This reflects a national decline of these formerly common birds. Nobody quite knows why they are disappearing from our gardens and countryside. Fortunately, much work is being done across the UK to try and reverse this decline, so hopefully there will soon be house sparrows chirping on the commons once again.

We are now looking for keen bird watchers to carry out survey work at Coulsdon Common and Kenley Common.

If you live near, or can travel easily to either of these sites at least once a month, can identify birds from sight and sound, and can make simple records, we would like to hear from you.

To explore how you could get involved, please contact Barry Gutteridge on 020 8776 2343.