Springfield

Local residents have reported ongoing concerns regarding anti-social behaviour within Sparkhill Park, particularly during the evenings and weekends. This includes large groups congregating, noise nuisance, littering, and general intimidation, which severely impacts the community and prevents families from feeling safe and enjoying our local green spaces.

Your neighbourhood team has increased high-visibility and targeted patrols in and around the park during peak times to deter offending and reassure park users.

We are working closely with local partners and the council to explore environmental improvements, and we will proactively use legislation where possible to take action and deter offences.

Most recently we have initiated the closure of the gate to Court Road Car Park in order to prevent anti-social behaviour during the evenings and overnight.

The community has highlighted the growing problem of nitrous oxide use and its associated anti-social behaviour, which often involves groups inhaling the substance in parked vehicles and leaving large gas canisters littered across our streets. Alongside the use of the drug, there is significant local concern regarding commercial premises in the ward illegally selling these canisters.

We are taking proactive, intelligence-led action by patrolling known hotspot areas to disrupt users, seize canisters, and deal with offenders under the current legislation.

Furthermore, we are conducting joint operations with Trading Standards to investigate and take robust enforcement action against any local retailers found to be unlawfully supplying nitrous oxide, cutting off the issue at its source.

Dangerous and inconsiderate parking remains a significant issue across the Springfield ward, with vehicles frequently parked on junctions, blocking pavements, and obstructing dropped kerbs. This behaviour causes daily frustration for residents and creates severe safety hazards by forcing pedestrians, including parents with pushchairs and those with mobility issues, into the road.

We are conducting regular enforcement operations in identified hotspots, working in close partnership with local authority parking enforcement officers to target the worst offenders.

Officers are actively issuing Traffic Offence Reports for obstructive parking, and we will not hesitate to remove vehicles that are causing a dangerous obstruction to the highway or pedestrian crossings.