To be finding London increasingly grubby?

[Notcontent]

Ok, this is not a London bashing thread. I actually love lots of things about living in London. And I am lucky enough to live in quite a nice area. BUT… I am not British so recently my parents were visiting from another country. Because of the pandemic, there has been quite a long gap since their last visit. We went for a walk and they commented on a few things and I guess I was seeing things through their eyes.

There seems to be dog poo everywhere - more than ever before. Maybe because everyone got dogs during the pandemic. There is litter everywhere. In my street there are houses that cost a lot of money but many people just dump their rubbish at the front and don’t seem to care. Very few people sweep the front of their houses - the only people who do seem to be older people. The council has no money so is not maintaining anything or doing any cleaning. I could go on…

Is it just me?

Probably....I'm British...maybe im more used used to dog shit and litter....I don't find London any dirtier than any other large city ....i certainly didn't notice any big difference post covid vist to London

It's not just London. There is more dog shit and more litter everywhere.

I agree I'm in London and in a fairly nice area, but rubbish has increased, the vibe seems off in the center and crime seems to have significantly risen, it isn't very pleasant to live here anymore. And things that outweighed the negatives are becoming increasingly unachievable like one day owning a nice property and visiting events like the wonderland at Christmas which is now extortionately priced.

You should've been there in the 80's.

Sounds very much like my area of
W London. The dog mess is most annoying.

I visited London in the summer, a specific area I have visited many times, and for the first time I felt the spark about it had gone, and it seemed a bit down on its luck. Also as I did touristy things across the city, the literal overflowing bins and bags and bags of rubbish made even nice areas look a bit shit. Was there a bin strike?

All English cities are.

It really strikes you when you return from abroad

Getting worse everywhere I think. Dog poo especially. It’s disgusting. So many people are disgusting.

Which bits of London? There's a lot of variation between boroughs etc.

Dog shit prob because in covid everyone round here seems to have got a dog!

80s there was dog shit everywhere and it was white ..!

@Tomatalillo

Getting worse everywhere I think. Dog poo especially. It’s disgusting. So many people are disgusting.

I flit between the north/east midlands of England and the south in London and London is far worse and getting worse, to the point where I am moving back next spring to the North/East midlands, I am in west London and I thought the East was bad but the west having been developed only seems to be getting worse

@VeniVidiWeeWee

You should've been there in the 80's.

I find some places are returning to the grubbiness of the 80s, especially regarding dog mess. When I was a child on the 80s there was dog poo everywhere. Then there was a big campaign about cleaning up after your dog's and it became socially unacceptable and dog poo virtually disappeared from the streets. Now it's widespread again.

I don’t live in London but there has definitely been a big increase in dog poo where I live. It’s literally everywhere. I’ve stopped taking my children to the local park where it’s particularly bad. I think that people are becoming more selfish.

My house backs onto a field with a public right of way. It’s a route that is often used by dog walkers. I regularly see dog walkers on that route not picking up their dogs poo. As a family we enjoy going on walks along that path but again it’s another place I’ve decided to stop taking my children because of the dog poo

Agree, I went recently to a smart area of London for an overnight stay and even round that area felt a bit tired, grubby and defeated

I don't live in London but I very rarely see dog poo round here. People are very careful to pick it up. But litter...!! I hate it. I also tell people off for littering. I know MN always say mind your own business and let other people do what they want, but that's why we're in this disgusting mess. I'd do short term jail sentences for persistent litterers.

@araiwa

All English cities are.

It really strikes you when you return from abroad

I'm guessing you've only holidayed in affluent countries then

Ever since I spent a year living in a clean and sparkling Sydney, it opened my eyes to how dirty and smelly cities are in the UK. I couldn’t believe how much filth we are used to here.

I live in another large city in England and it’s the same as a PP described - the vibe is off and the city centre spark has gone.

YANBU - I have always loved London but agree with PP's that it has lost its spark and seemed grubbier than before. Maybe it is rose-tinted spectacles about the "before times", before Covid, I don't know but I didn't like it at all. I really hope we don't have a return to 80's levels of dog shit but maybe the increase in lockdown pet purchases by people who can't really be arsed with a dog and all that it entails will lead to more mess on the pavements. I have definitely seen more "road men" with scary dogs when I have been out and about, and have seen them not pick up after their dogs. Have been too scared to say anything though

I agree. You don't see much rubbish in Melbourne and it's rare to see dog poo left. It's a pleasure walking in the parks here.

What a change to sunny East London, where people acted as if they had no idea what a rubbish bins or dog poop bags were for...

The difference here is, they WILL fine you and it will be a lot.

Not at all

A lot of poorer countries are a lot less grubby than england

I'm in a city but not London
And I do think it depends on area. My area is full of dog shit, litter and graffiti. My parents who live in a more affluent area have none of that.

I agree that things are worse than 15 years ago. My town looks the way I remember it in the early 90s.

The amount Labour spent on councils meant street services were much better, now we've had 10+ years of Tory underfunding and things will look shit.

Plus more dogs.

Plus covid backlogs.

Plus increased graffiti etc caused by reduced youth services etc.

Plus increased vandalism caused by reduced police services.

Plus increased flytipping caused by reduced enforcement.

Etc etc etc. It all comes down to austerity.

Last time I visited London my impression was chicken bones. Everywhere we went there were chicken bones on the side walks.

I agree with pp that wealth and cleanliness don't necessarily go hand in hand, and vice versa.

Dog shit prob because in covid everyone round here seems to have got a dog!
No, there's dog shit because dog owners don't pick it up. Some of whom are reading this right now. Clean up after your dog you disgusting, antisocial fuckers.

Yes there are bin strikes and problems collecting litter atm.
Dog shit is out of control everywhere IMO. Not sure what to do about this as too many irresponsible owners not caring and letting their dog crap on the pavement. Making dog ownership illegal would be my solution but then I don’t like dogs in general.

I go to London alot and public loos are awful, even in department stores. I don't really understand why people don't take their dog crap home with them and get rid there.