Two dogs rushed to vets for ingesting discarded drugs and three days of noise heard in homes on Balham Hill: The aftermath of Lambeth's Clapham Common festivals on local residents

Lambeth Council and Festival Republic went ahead with the three illegal festivals planned for the Bank Holiday weekend on Clapham Common, and it was far worse than anyone had anticipated, say local residents.

Between Friday evening and Monday night, local charity the Friends of Clapham Common was flooded with hundreds of complaints sent to Lambeth Council from local residents and businesses.

Local restaurants had a large number of cancellations due to the noise and newly opened spa, April's Promise, was forced to cancel three days of treatment appointments because of the noise and vibrations in the treatment rooms.

One father in Earlsfield wrote: "I have a newborn daughter (10 weeks) and a wife working as a doctor for the NHS. (...) I'll cut to the chase, I'm absolutely appalled with the decision to allow such excessively loud music on Clapham Common this year.

"I have never heard noise quite like it - in Earlsfield and the music is so loud this weekend that I thought it was coming from next door.

"This is insane guys? Where I live is absolutely nowhere near the Common. This is totally unacceptable and I'm seriously concerned about the legitimacy of the event and the granting of it by Lambeth council."

Another resident over in Balham wrote: "Three days of noise pollution over the Clapham area is simply unacceptable.

"We can't hear ourselves think *inside* our house which lies between Balham Hill and Cavendish Road - so hardly right next to the event.

"Lambeth Council needs to address this and think hard about misusing our Common in this way."

While Yam Carnival on Saturday (August 28) received huge amounts of noise complaints, RTRN II Dance the following day received the most complaints for antisocial behaviour.

Illegal activity on the Common including public urination, multiple bonfires and drug taking saw two dogs rushed to the vets after ingesting discarded drugs.

ATL+LDN on Monday received an unprecedented number of complaints for the continuous expletive-ridden language.

As one resident local resident said: "I was shocked to hear the lyrics 'shut the fuck up' screamed over and over again at very loud volume on Monday around 14:50, followed by 'Kill the Fucking Queen' and other foul-language rants.

"How can Lambeth Council allow such an 'act' to play on a common with many playgrounds and families all around? The common is known as 'Nappy Valley' because there are so many young families living here, and it is inexcusable to allow this kind of 'music' to be loudly broadcast for miles."

The Councillors of Wandsworth have condemned Lambeth Council's use of Clapham Common.

In a joint statement they said: "As Wandsworth Councillors representing wards bordering Clapham Common, we strongly condemn Lambeth Council's repeated exploitation of Clapham Common for commercial events to the detriment of the Common's grass and biodiversity and local residents' enjoyment of the Common. (...)

"Not only is Lambeth Council's repeated exploitation of this common land cynical, profit-driven and against the wishes of local residents, it is now clear that it is also unlawful.

"The Friends of Clapham Common have obtained legal advice which shows that Lambeth Council failed to obtain the necessary permission from the Secretary of State in time for this year's events, and when it became clear that permission would not be granted before the scheduled events, Lambeth Council went ahead anyway.

"As public servants, we are shocked that a neighbouring local authority would show such brazen disregard for its legal obligations.

"We call on Lambeth Council to rethink its plans for future commercial festivals on Clapham Common, consult with residents on any future uses of the Common, and undertake never to proceed again with an event without the necessary legal permissions.

"Signed: Cllr Louise Calland, Northcote Ward; Cllr Peter Dawson, Northcote Ward; Cllr Aled Richards-Jones, Northcote Ward ; Cllr Paul Ellis, Balham Ward; Cllr Lucy Mowatt, Balham Ward; Cllr Clare Salier, Balham Ward."

Following protests held ahead of the events, Lambeth Council said: "We will ensure that any wear and tear to the events section of the common is quickly repaired, and have also secured a further £63,000 to spend on improving parks in Clapham.

"Planning permissions have been secured for this year's temporary events, and we have followed well established practise. We are in dialogue with the Planning Inspectorate about permission to put up temporary structures for the event."

What was your experience of the festivals on Clapham Common this weekend? Write to us at [email protected] and let us know what you think.