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6 ways to enjoy green spaces

Summer is one of the best times of the year to get outdoors and enjoy Bexley’s parks and open spaces. Remember these tips to make sure your sunny day out is a safe one. 

1. Preventing fire

BBQs and fires are not permitted in Bexley’s parks. Smouldering ash and embers can be carried by the wind onto areas of dry grass.
 

BBQ left in a park causing a fire
Discarded cigarette causing a grass fire

2. Smoking responsibly

Please put cigarette butts out properly and dispose of them in bins. Cigarettes can start grass fires and harm wildlife. Even cigarettes thrown from a car window can ignite dry grass near roadsides. 
 

3. Keep clean and tidy

Dispose of rubbish in a litter bin or take it home with you to help keep wildlife safe and our parks clean and tidy. Glass and plastic left in parks can magnify the sun and start fires on dry grass.
 

Plastic bottle left in the sun
Swan at the side of a lake

4. Water safety

Take extra care near water to ensure personal safety and protect wildlife habitats. 
 

5. Keeping four-legged friends safe

Keep dogs on leads, clean up after them and do not allow them in lakes to ensure their own safety and protect wildlife.
 

Ducks on a lake
Child with sunglasses and hat and a glass of liquid

6. Stay hydrated

When you are out in the sun remember to carry plenty of water.

If it gets really hot, seek shade periodically to avoid heat exhaustion. Take your sun screen, hat and glasses to protect against harmful UV rays.
 

Additional fire safety tips for our allotment holders:

  • do not leave stoves for making tea unattended or keep inappropriate items in sheds/plots
  • regularly check and turn compost heaps, but avoid turning if they are smouldering, as the sudden infusion of oxygen can cause them to catch fire
  • take waste home instead of leaving it stacked on site
  • keep BBQs well away from sheds, fences, crops and trees and fully extinguish them before leaving the site
  • do not store gas bottles in allotment sheds