Backlash at ‘really stupid’ Hampstead Heath swimmers ‘ruining it for everyone’

After blistering heat saw Londoners flock to Hampstead Heath and swim in wildlife ponds, locals have spoken out about the threat it poses to the Heath that is home for a range of wildlife

As a sweltering heatwave hit London this week thousands upons thousands of people flocked to lidos too cool off and others choose to take a dip in ponds, such as at Hampstead Heath where scenes sparked outrage. People were pictured in the non-swimming ponds over the bank holiday weekend, which are designated wildlife sanctuaries for swans and other wildlife in the area.

Pictures and videos shared on social media triggered angry residents to hit back, calling on the City of London to do more to prevent swimmers from accessing these ponds. To make matters worse, it is peak nesting season with eggs waiting to hatch and ducklings and chicks that are only a few days old whose habitat has now been disturbed.

The Heath has a series of designated swimming ponds, but long queues amid 35C heat led to many cooling off in banned areas. With temperatures still in the high 20s on Friday (May 29), nobody was spotted in the water when MyLondon visited the ponds.

Nature reserve account, swansofhampsteadheath, who first raised the alarm about the swimmers in the ponds, wrote on Instagram earlier this week: “Over £50,000 of public donations was raised by the City of London for a wildlife sanctuary and restoration project on this pond, a project they describe on their website as creating an undisturbed habitat where birds can feed, rest, and breed safely. For the last 3 days, the pond has been full of swimmers. This has been happening year after year, and each year it gets worse.”

They also wrote in another post that a swan was spotted with a fishing hook through its beak. Adding: “This is yet another example of why Hampstead Heath urgently needs more constabulary patrols across the heath. Local residents and regular visitors should not be the ones left to confront people breaking the rules and putting wildlife at risk.

“These ponds are supposed to be protected spaces for wildlife, not places where animals end up injured because rules are ignored and enforcement is lacking.”

MyLondon spoke with visitors to Hampstead Heath on Friday to find out what people think should be done to protect the dedicated wildlife ponds. Rob Beattie said: “This is nesting season. There are plenty of public pools around the Heath, and we understand they may be busy, but you need to respect nature.

“This isn’t a typical park; it’s home to many bird species. There aren’t that many wild spaces in the heart of London, and Hampstead Heath is one of them.

“Days like that, Monday, it’s hard to keep people at bay because it’s that hot. If [the City of London Corporation] don’t want people to go into it, make it harder for them to get in. The pond is low and easy to get into, but it’s not a pond for humans.

“It needs to be ringed off. There needs to be a way to manage the number of people, whether that’s putting more staff on to handle the overflow. The Heath is very special.”

Even with the ‘no swimming’ signs dotted around, people don’t think they’re strong enough deterrents to stop people from jumping into the ponds. The City of London Corporation, which manages the Heath, described the conduct of some swimmers as “utterly appalling”.

One lady who didn’t want to be named said: “It’s hard to call people out for it because you’re putting yourself in the line of fire. You have to protect yourself. Once one person goes, the rest follow.”

Errol and Albert weren’t aware of the scenes over the bank holiday when we spoke to them, but they expressed that the Heath needs to be for everyone. Errol said: “We need to protect the environment, it’s special.

“Hampstead Heath is for everyone, and if we ruin it by people doing stuff like this, it won’t be good for anybody. People know the rules about no swimming, but if they aren’t enforced, they won’t be stopped.

Albert added: “Obviously, with the heat, if people see water, they are going to want to get in. Even with the booking system for the swimming ponds, places fill up so quickly. That’s why stuff like this happens.”

“Swimming is only permitted in the Mixed, Ladies’ and Men’s Ponds for safety reasons,” Alderman Gregory Jones KC said previously: “Entering other non-lifeguarded water bodies is extremely dangerous, against our byelaws, and causes significant harm to wildlife habitats.

“We always seek to engage with visitors first, but the Constabulary will take enforcement action where necessary, including issuing fines or making arrests.”

Lucas Campbell, 20, and Lana were in Heath and witnessed how busy it was on the Bank Holiday. Lucas said: “I think it was really stupid seeing people swimming in those ponds. I think it was a crowd mentality issue, but it shouldn’t have happened. Hopefully, it’s the last time it happens.

“I don’t think there are enough ponds for everyone to swim. It was so crowded, and around the swimming ponds, there were way too many people. I see why it happened, but it’s unfortunate that it did.”

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