News

Police clear litter from Hawthorn Drive basketball court

Officers on patrol collected three bags of rubbish, including empty vodka bottles and cider cans, from Hawthorn Drive basketball court in south-west Ipswich on Sunday.

Oliver Rouane-Williams

Oliver Rouane-Williams

— 1 min read
An Ipswich police officer with three evidence bags of rubbish after the clean-up at Hawthorne Drive basketball court in Ipswich

The big picture: The incident highlights ongoing challenges maintaining safe and clean community sports facilities for residents.

Empty vodka bottles, cider cans, soft drink containers and plastic cups were strewn across the floor of Hawthorne Drive basketball court in Ipswich
Empty vodka bottles, cider cans, soft drink containers and plastic cups were strewn across the floor of the court (Suffolk Constabulary )

What happened: Police officers found empty vodka bottles, cider cans, soft drink containers and plastic cups while patrolling near the Hawthorn Drive basketball courts.

  • Officers filled three bags with discarded items
  • The clean-up helped ensure safer use of the community facility

What they're saying: "PC 1613 and PC 1831 have cleaned up the rubbish to ensure that they can be used safely by the local community," an Ipswich Police spokesperson said.

An Ipswich police officer with three evidence bags of rubbish after the clean-up at Hawthorne Drive basketball court in Ipswich
The officer looks pleased following the clean-up (Suffolk Constabulary )

The bottom line: The incident shows how community facilities can be affected by the thoughtless actions of a small minority.

Independent local journalism is expensive to produce

It's free for you to read thanks to the generous support of our partners.

Below the line