The scene in Elmfield Park this week as the grass gets longerThe scene in Elmfield Park this week as the grass gets longer
The scene in Elmfield Park this week as the grass gets longer

This is how a popular Doncaster park is looking after two months without maintenance

Most years, they would be a riot of colour and order in the bright June sun.

But more than two months in lockdown have taken their toll on the lawns and flowerbeds of one of Doncaster’s most loved parks.

These pictures show how with Doncaster Council’s gardening staff away from the job, parks of Elmfield Park have been left to become overgrown without their usual maintenance.

Our pictures show how the park currently looks, with some of our archive pictures showing how they contrast with its beauty of previous summers.

One resident wrote to the Free Press to raise his concerns about the appearance of the park.

Michael Smith said: “I have just returned home from a walk across the town fields, whilst I was out I looked into the Elmfield Park. What a shock I got when seeing all the rosebeds overgrown with weeds and grass and litter all over the place. The gardens didn’t look as if they had been attended to since last winter.“Come on Doncaster Council, firms are carrying out road repairs and laying gas pipes, refuse is being collected and dump sites are open, surely it’s time to start taking people off furlough and start to get them back to work.“The children and people of Doncaster need to be treated better than this.”

Head of Street Scene, David Ridge, said: “Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, we had stopped all maintenance which was deemed “non-essential” and are currently operating with reduced services so that we can fully support our vulnerable communities who are most in need of our help.

“Restarting additional services – such as work on flower beds - is heavily dependent on further guidance and services will be prioritised according to need.”