Notting Hill Carnival clean-up sees 300 tonnes of rubbish cleared from streets after two million party in west LondonAround 200 staff worked through the night on Sunday and Monday to clear waste left across the Carnival footprint
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Megan Howe, News Reporter1 minute ago
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More than 300 tonnes of waste have been cleared from the streets of west London following Notting Hill Carnival.
Over two million people joined the 60th anniversary celebrations, which involved two days of dancing, music and processions.
Met Police confirmed the number of arrests at this year’s Carnival was 636, with 242 arrests taking place on Sunday and 394 on Monday.
Despite the record arrests, police noted a marked reduction in serious violence compared to previous years.
As the festivities drew to a close on Monday, a major operation began to get the streets of North Kensington back to normal.
An army of around 200 staff, supported by 30 waste vehicles, worked through the night from Sunday into Monday and again from Monday into Tuesday, clearing waste left across the Carnival footprint.
Staff were deployed by RBKC to clean-up the streets in Notting Hill RBKC
The overnight operation meant roads and pavements could reopen and life could return to normal for residents.
Around 30 per cent of the waste collected is expected to be recycled, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea said.
Once the bulk of the waste has been removed, street washing teams gave the roads and pavements a clean.
Work will continue across the Carnival area throughout the week and is expected to be completed by Saturday, September 5.
Councillor Josh Rendall, Lead Member for Transport, Parks and Clean Streets, said: “Carnival is an incredible weekend and this year more than two million people came together to celebrate its 60th anniversary. But for our residents living on the route, it is also important that their streets are handed back to them quickly and in good condition.
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“That is why, while the borough slept, hundreds of our staff were working through the night clearing hundreds of tonnes of waste, washing the streets and getting North Kensington moving again.
“It is a huge operation and I want to thank every member of the team who stayed up late to get the job done.”
Gary O’Hagan, Regional Manager for SUEZ said: “To get the streets of Notting Hill cleaned and tidied not once but twice in 48 hours is a huge undertaking that takes months of careful planning and preparation.
“It is a credit to our teams that local residents are greeted by a clean, tidy street when they step outside on Tuesday morning, just hours after Europe’s biggest street festival has finished. Thank you to all those involved and to residents for their patience.”
Following Carnival, the Council offers a free cleaning service for residential basements and frontages impacted by the event.
A dedicated graffiti removal programme is also in place with crews working through streets to identify and remove it.
Police said the two day event passed largely without incident despite the number of arrests.
The deployment of live facial recognition technology led to 214 alerts, resulting in 121 arrests and the stopping of 86 registered sex offenders.
However, a man believed to be in his 20s, sadly died after he went into a canal while being pursued by officers.
Officers on duty at the event on Monday attempted to stop the man around Harrow Road, but he fled on foot as officers chased him.
A short time later he entered the water near Meanwhile Gardens, police said.
Officers and members of the public pulled him from the water and administered CPR.
He was taken to a central London hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4.43pm. Enquiries are ongoing to inform his family.
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Notting Hill CarnivalNorth KensingtonMet PoliceRoyal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea