An overgrown green space in Swindon's town centre that became a hotspot for drug dealing has been tidied at long last after a neighbour kicked up a fuss.

The fields around the balancing pond near Shrivenham Road and the County Ground felt increasingly unsafe, so Alistair Flockhart wanted to "reclaim" the informal park and pushed for something to be done about the mess.

He said: "The shrubs were overgrown, the pond was in a disgraceful state, and you would often hear men talking in the bushes.

"There were discarded needles, viagra and condom wrappers, and empty beer bottles on the ground.

"It's the only green space in this part of town and is a really popular recreation area for joggers, dogwalkers, and Tesco shoppers, but people felt that they couldn't go there because of the drug use and prostitution.

"No-one seemed to be taking responsibility for the space so it took months for anything to be done."

Swindon Advertiser:

South Swindon Parish Council carried out work to trim the bushes, but Alistair thought this had not fully addressed the issue, so he contacted Thames Water and asked Sir Robert Buckland MP for help.

Mr Buckland met with Thames Water's CEO and a major clean-up operation followed.

Alistair added: "They did more than I expected. Their team filled four buckets with hypodermic needles from the bushes, which shows how big the problem was.

"I hope the space is maintained better in the future and that its full potential as a community asset is recognised."

Mr Buckland said: "It was great to work with Alistair and Thames Water on this project.  

"The area in question was overgrown, unattractive, and unsafe, but I was really pleased that Thames Water agreed to clean it up.  

"We had a number of site visits and meetings in order to help make this happen.  

“It is important that we have well-maintained and safe spaces in Swindon which local residents can feel proud of.”

Swindon Advertiser: The pond off Shrivenham Road in Swindon town centreThe pond off Shrivenham Road in Swindon town centre (Image: Dave Cox)

A Thames Water spokesman said: "After discussions with the local MP, councillors and residents, we developed a plan to clean up the balancing pond and surrounding areas near Shrivenham Road.

"During the autumn, we emptied the pond of silt, removed dead and overgrown vegetation, cleared the site of rubbish, and installed safety signage posts and hand railings around the pond.

"We are pleased to hear residents are now enjoying this open space and we’ll continue to monitor the site and complete any maintenance work when needed."