Preston park pond 'is an eyesore'
12:40pm Thursday 15th May 2008
Moor Park has been described as a "dreadful eyesore" by visitors.
Local residents say the park, the largest and oldest in Preston, which runs along Blackpool Road, needs to be cleaned up.
Plastic bags, glass bottles and even a plastic alien doll were just some of the discarded rubbish clogging up the duck pond.
Jason Clayton, of Plungington Road, takes his two-year-old daughter, Amy, for walks in the park with partner Keeley, 19.
He was disgusted with the state of the it.
The 20-year-old accountancy student of the University of Central Lancashire said: "They really need to have a big clean-up especially in the area surrounding the pond.
"The play area is quite good but we have seen a lot of rubbish there too which needs clearing."
Fellow resident, Angela Harding, agreed adding: "It is a dreadful eyesore and someone needs to be employed pretty quickly to try and sort this out."
"I know it cannot be policed at all times but the state of it at the moment is just terrible which will just put people off from coming here."
A council spokesperson said: "Our officers carry out litter picks to remove rubbish form Moor Park every day and this helps us keep most of the park tidy.
"However, we still get problems around the duck pond when people who feed the ducks continue to leave old food and other litter lying around.
"We don't want people to stop feeding the ducks altogether, we just want people to think about the amount of food they give them and to make sure there is no litter left on the floor when they leave."
Just a month ago the park was treated for a rat problem around the duck pond.
Moor Park was built in 1833 and attracted more than 35,000 revellers to Radio 1's Big Weekend last year.