Wandsworth Council has said it will ban Zippos Circus from returning to the borough after the travelling show’s trucks caused extensive damage to Wandsworth Common.
“This is completely unacceptable,” a post by the council begins, underneath a photo sent by a resident that showed thick tracks of mud through the Commons’ grass caused by the heavy trucks that transport the circus around the country.
“Zippos Circus will not be returning to any Wandsworth green spaces in future,” the post continues, “and they are being charged the cost of renewing and repairing these grassed areas. In addition their permitted length of stay on the common has been reduced.”
Zippos was due to remain on the Common until this Sunday, making the most of the spate of sunny weather. It was the first time the show has appeared on the Commons but following the council’s decision not only will that run will be cut short but may be over indefinitely.
The council has also said it will be reviewing all activities on the Commons from this point on. “In light of what has happened this week, we will be reviewing what activities will be allowed on green spaces going forward and also how vehicle access on grass is managed by contractors,” the statement reads. “We will do everything possible to ensure this does not happen again to any Wandsworth parks, commons or green spaces.”
Earlier this week, Zippos reported that it had had cancelled its show because of council’s concerns about cars and trucks on the soft ground causing damage. But the show was back up and running the next day after a sunny day.
In case you missed the news, our Wandsworth Common South show has been cancelled tonight. Due to the recent wet weather, the council stopped all vehicle movement on site. We are very sorry.
— Zippos Circus (@ZipposCircus) May 8, 2024
We will open on Thursday 9 May with shows at 5pm and 7.30pm. https://t.co/SqySw7yBjj pic.twitter.com/1HSKZjJ992
The decision by Wandsworth Council to ban Zippos follows in the footsteps of two of two other warnings in the previous two weeks. Between 1-6 May, the show was in Wimbledon Park and after the wet weather resulted in damage to the grass there, Zippos posted an apology on the railings and promised to pay to clean things up.
The week before that the circus show was lambasted by Lambeth Council over the same issue.
“The terms and conditions for events at Lambeth parks make clear that event organisers are responsible for taking the necessary measures to prevent the grass in our public spaces from being seriously damaged,” the council said after residents also sent photos of damage caused by equipment setup. “Zippo’s have breached a number of requirements in this respect. The operator’s permit has now been revoked.”
When it rains…
Zippos is far from the only circus that visits Putney and the towns close by during the spring and summer. Currently Rose’s Bank Holiday Fun Fair is set up on Putney Lower Common, just on the Wandsworth side of the border between Putney and Barnes/Richmond.
There is also a lot of mud caused by the movement of trucks on that site, although both circuses are likely to argue that that is the result of an unusually high rainfall during April that has caused extremely soft land. The Met Office’s weather report for last month showed that there had been 111.4mm of rain, which is more than 50 per cent more than average.
It’s not just the travelling entertainment’s impact on the ground that has got locals riled up however: it’s also the air. There have been a significant number of complaints about the use of large diesel generators for the outdoor events. “What’s the point in ULEZ when the council allows a huge generator pumping out noxious fumes for days on end?” one local resident asked Putney.news about the recent encampment on the Wandsworth end of Wimbledon Park.
We’re all hoping for more sun and less rain this month, but possibly none more so that the travelling circuses.
