Royal Parks staff said they were "staggered" after finding an entire sofa set dumped in Bushy Park this summer, amid a shocking rise of litter in London's parks.

The colourful sofa suite was left jammed between a mature oak tree in the park and took time and money to remove, the charity said, in a blog posted to their website last Thursday (5 August).

The post also revealed that staff have faced the distressing sights of plastic litter affecting wildlife in the parks, including a bag wrapped tightly wrapped around a stag's mouth (see gallery above).

A hedgehog caught on film entangled in a party balloon and a cormorant with a plastic beer-pack ring round its neck are two other casualties of a rise in park use throughout the pandemic.

Commenting on the dumped sofa, the Royal Parks said: "We spotted this colourful sofa suite jammed against the trunk of a mature oak tree in Bushy Park.

"We are staggered that someone would consider dumping such a large piece of furniture in the heart of this precious park – one which is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and host to a wide diversity of wildlife," said the Royal Parks.

"It took time, effort and cost for our staff to remove and dispose of it, taking them away from their more important work to care for the park and its wildlife."

The Parks added that other rubbish including piles of plastic bags filled with left-over picnic waste, pizza boxes, glass bottles, dog poo bags and PPE have been proving hazardous to wildlife.

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For example, "small animals and birds can climb inside plastic bags or get their heads stuck in bottles or cans and suffocate," the charity wrote.

"Wildlife attracted to left-over scraps can accidentally eat plastic waste, clogging up their intestines, causing them pain or even death by starvation," they added.

"Deer become distressed if they get plastic bags tangled in their antlers and can cause a stampede which is dangerous to the public."

In addition, it costs the Royal Parks at least £1.3 million a year to collect and dispose of litter left in the 5,000 acres of parkland in London.

What is being done?

The Royal Parks charity, which manages London's eight historic parks and other important green spaces in the capital, is highlighting the impact of discarded trash on wildlife as part of its 'Help Nature Thrive' campaign this summer.

The campaign is asking visitors to 'leave no trace' and to take their rubbish home or put it in the bins if there is space.

It is illegal to leave litter in the Royal Parks and, under the park regulations, offenders could be fined.

Visitors are also reminded to leave no trace by not lighting BBQs, which are not permitted in the parks and which can prove hazardous to wildlife, particularly when the grass is dry.

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Find out more about the campaign HERE.

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