UKC

I went out for an early morning walk along Burbage South today and came across what looks like the aftermath of a recent party, just above the Cioch Block.

It's a bloody mess — rubbish left everywhere and graffiti sprayed on boulders.

I collected some of it together and removed a large black bin bag (which they'd actually filled themselves but obviously decided was too much trouble to carry out).

There's plenty more though, both above and below the block, so if anyone is going out there in the next few days please take a bag and do your bit...

Gloves are advisable for some of the more unsavoury items!

Not sure what can be done about the graffiti?

Pete.

In reply to Pete O'Donovan:

Unfortunately a a bag for litter is standard gear in my rucksack now.
I was in Singapore where the fines for littering are between 1000 & 5000 dollars as well as having to do a 12 hr litter pick.
The place is spotless.
This quote reflects their attitude.

""We must also keep Singapore clean because it reflects our values - to be house-proud, considerate, environmentally conscious."

In reply to Pete O'Donovan:
You don't have to be a Burbage regular to be appalled at that. Hope the graffiti fades and vanishes quickly (no idea what the characteristics of grit are). I like the Singapore solution.

In reply to Removed User:

I suppose that, even though this appalling vandalism is in a national park, graffiti doesn't quite qualify as criminal damage - or does it? I think our laws need tightening up on this, in the Singapore manner. I may (even though I'm not a Conservative) mention this to a close relative of mine who, as of yesterday, is 'in a very high place' in government.

In reply to Pete O'Donovan:

Unfortunately I've come across this in the burbage valley before (not the graffiti). I'll pop over and collect up what I can. Happy to have a go at cleaning the graffiti. Anyone got any suggestions on best way to clean it and minimise evironmental impact etc?

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:


Googling 'graffiti criminal damage' comes up with this (amongst other similar hits):

http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/environmentandtransport/streetcleaning/graffitiandfl...

'Graffiti [...] to your property are criminal damage and should be reported to the police.'

The difficult phrase may be the 'to you property'...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_damage_in_English_law

says that land constitutes property for the terms of CDA 1971.

In reply to captain paranoia:

OK, I did a Google a bit like that. The problem, I think, re. land being damaged is that the property owner has to protest ... in the case of Burbage, whoever is the technical owner may not even be aware of this damage yet.

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

It may be an idea, through a body such as the BMC, to make the owner aware partly because they may take the view that as climbers make up the bulk of visitors (assuming they do) barring access is the answer.

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

It doesn't matter who you protest to since no one knows whose responsible. If you could find out who organized the party and contact them directly about it it would probably be more effective.

Outdoor parties have tenuous legality and people who organize them know that better than anyone. Most of the time such events are scrupulously cleaned up because firstly they don't want to draw criticism and secondly they'd prefer people not know they happened at all.

The spray paint is doubtless the work of one lone idiot and things like that can sadly be done at any time. But the rubbish is most definitely the responsibility of the organizers who should know better.

In reply to kedvenc72:


There is a product called 'Graff-off'. We use the gel version, slap it on, give it 5 minutes, then a stiff bristle brush sees the paint come off almost any surface. Plus its biodegradable/environmentally friendly. Great stuff.

In reply to Infinite Granite:

Do the BMC know about this stuff? In the unlikely event that they do not, they obviously need to be told.

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

I emailed them a few weeks ago about similar (but worse) at Wharncliffe, but they haven't replied.

http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=591611

In reply to Simon Caldwell:

I'm not exactly sure what one would expect the BMC to do. As POD says at the top, if you're going out there take a bag and bring back some of the rubbish. Moaning to people people who are perceived to be in charge or some authority is generally a waste of time in my opinion.

In reply to stp:

We would expect them to drop everything and focus only on the biggest access issue they face: the Toilets at Harrisons :O

In reply to Pete O'Donovan:

Oiks WILL tend to escape from the conurbation that is Sheffield.
Such rowdies are best spoken to diplomatically...

They are more in evidence than climbers on the crag nowadays,as few of the modern generation find hard climbing fashionable at this venue,except for half a dozen well video'd must-do's.

In reply to stp:


With respect to the email I sent, I would expect them to either take up the issue of the graffiti, or tell me who I should contact instead. I assume that they'll do one or other when they return from their extended holidays


the rubbish isn't the main issue, anyone can remove it. The graffiti is harder to deal with and needs to be handled by someone who knows what they are doing.

In reply to Pete O'Donovan:

It may be that the police recognise the tags, though unlikely!

In reply to Pete O'Donovan:

Just been and picked up the rest of the rubbish. The graffiti is a lot bigger/worse than I thought from the photograph.

In reply to kedvenc72:

Very well done!

Re the graffiti: yeah, the light was pretty flat for the photo. I'm still waiting for consensus about the best way to remove it before taking any action myself.

Cheers,

Pete.

In reply to stp:


I wouldn't expect the BMC to take any immediate action, but it is something that they probably need to be aware of, if it's an increasing problem. As has been said, people might try to link this to climbers, and that might have a knock-on effect on access.

It's also politic if the 'governing body' of a sport shows that it has environmental concerns. I'm sure the BMC access officers work closely with other agencies, and it might be useful to point out that climbers are concerned about this sort of thing, and people like POD and kedvenc are taking steps off their own bat to tidy up and make good (kudos, chaps), again improving the image of climbers.

In reply to captain paranoia:

Fair point, I'd like a quick word from the BMC on this issue. There has been a few cases of graffiti.

In reply to FreshSlate:

If they did respond I'd like less hand ringing and more pratical advise on if/ how to clean different rock types.

In reply to Offwidth:

Still haven't had a reply

In reply to Offwidth:


Yeah basically what to do about it.

In reply to Pete O'Donovan:

Historic Scotland were able to remove graffiti from the boulders at Dumbarton Rock in such a way that the boulder problems themselves weren't adversely affected. Grit is obviously softer than basalt, but they might still have some useful suggestions/advice - http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=68042