Police forced to intervene after swimmers invade Hampstead Heath wildlife pond

Police were forced to intervene after swimmers invaded the wildlife pond at Hampstead Heath on Friday afternoon.

The Hampstead Heath Constabulary and ParkGuard were alerted to more than a dozen swimmers bathing at the nature pond, among swans and other protected wildlife.

This is despite enforcement put in by the City of London Corporation, including barbed wire, extra security and glaring signage on every side of the pond.

Swimmers invaded one after another as security battled to call them back to land, with one pair managing to swim the entire width of the lake before being noticed.

In another video, a man is seen entering the pond just metres away from a bevy of swans. Another boy was spotted repeatedly diving into the water near the nesting swans.

The Hampstead Heath Constabulary later joined the effort and called swimmers back out of the pond, intervening in the chaos.

For the majority of the afternoon, visitors appeared to be abiding by the rules, though many confessed to The Standard that they were waiting for security to leave.

The City of London Corporation have pleaded with swimmers on several occasions to only bathe in the three designated ponds across the heath where lifeguards are present. Entering non-designated water carried risks including cold shock, hidden hazards, exposure to blue green algae and can be incredibly damaging to wildlife.

But as the heatwave takes a hold on the capital, Londoners have become desperate for access to blue spaces.

Speaking to The Standard, one sunbather said: “The ponds, you can never book them and they used to be free until Covid-19.”

She added that while there are enough blue spaces in London, they all require booking.

It was a sentiment shared by many of Hampstead Heath’s visitors, with friends Alastair and Malcolm explaining every lido in the capital is currently “oversubscribed and completely booked” as Londoners look for respite in the heatwave.

Malcolm added that he had mixed feelings about people swimming in the wildlife pond. While he was “angry” about people disrupting the wildlife, he explained that there were not enough options for those who did want to swim, with the system becoming “bureaucratised.”

Mother and daughter Lois and Isa arrived in London from the Netherlands and were disappointed to find they couldn’t swim at Hampstead Heath without a prior booking.

Their frustration only deepened when they saw both the Men’s and Mixed Bathing ponds were not completely full, despite being fully booked.

“It could definitely fit more people. This is going to be the future, so they need to look at this again to make more room for people to swim,” said Lois.

“You should see Holland, we swim everywhere with no restrictions.”

The City of London Corporation said: “As well as our own Constabulary, we’ve put additional security and patrols in place across the Heath, particularly around the Lido and Model Boating Pond.

“Entering any other water body is extremely dangerous and risks both lives and wildlife.

“We want all visitors to enjoy their time on the Heath, and we’re asking everyone to behave responsibly, and respect the space and those who care for it.”

The corporation also said its wardens had experienced “physical and verbal abuse” as a result of the measures at the nearby Lido.