Sports are kicked out of St James’s Park

FOR many Londoners there can be no better hangover cure than trudging down to the park on a Sunday morning, laying down some jumpers in the mud and having a kickabout.

One park where you don’t need to dodge the dog poo is St James’s – a benefit of having the Queen and Ministry of Justice as neighbours. It has made it a favourite among the well-heeled sporty types of SW1 as well as tourists looking to let off steam.

But now the fun could be over. 

Under a scheme ­masterminded by one of the most prestigious neighbourhood groups in the land, the Friends of St James’s Park, police have banned football in the 23-acre park, and say officers will break up all games as “a matter of priority”.

The Friends group, which counts the former editor of The Times newspaper Lord Rees-Mogg, Conservative MP Alan Duncan and musician turned television star Jools Holland, among its members, called on the Met to crack down on football in the park at a meeting last month. They say it is a nuisance and inconsiderate to other users.

Superintendent Simon Ovens, who oversees policing the Royal Parks in central London, ­confirmed the no ball games ruling. 

He said: “Officers will be stopping any games they come across and advising/warning those taking part that ball games are not permitted.

“The view of both ­ourselves and the Friends of St James’s Park is that St James’s is a small but very popular park with lots of visitors, especially in the summer months, and large games of ­football there would be inconsiderate for other park users. In larger spaces such as Hyde Park it is not much of an issue as there is plenty of space.”

With Hyde Park less than a mile away, police and park bosses say it is reasonable that people go a little further.

But many people have branded the crackdown ridiculous and some groundsmen told the West End Extra they were not aware of any ban.

Opponents argue the park is big enough for everybody, and that the police should concentrate on tackling real ­criminals.

Charlie Barnfield, who walks through the park on his way to work, said: “I can’t see why they need to ban football. 

“If people want to come and kick a ball about what harm they are doing? There’s plenty of room and it’s not like there are full-scale matches going on. I would have thought the police had better things to worry about.”  

Another user, Barry Thompson, said: “I don’t have a problem with it. Surely that’s what parks are for. It looks like snooty people in St James’s have decided they want the park for themselves and don’t like it when tourists come and kick a ball about.”

A spokeswoman for the Royal Parks said: “As St James’s Park is a small, busy park with limited open grassed space, we ask visitors to respect other park users by refraining from ­playing ball games. 

“This is clearly stated on all park noticeboards.  The nearby wide open spaces of Hyde Park offer an ideal alternative for visitors to enjoy ball sports.”

The West End Extra attempted to contact the Friends of St James’s Park group several times but nobody was available for comment.
JAMIE WELHAM