Harrow plans to make leaving rubbish beside a bin an offence borough-wide, and to drop park bans on foraging, metal detecting and open-water swimming.
Leaving rubbish or builders’ waste next to a bin would become an offence anywhere in Harrow under new rules the council has put out to consultation. Under the current orders, that ban applies only on housing estates.
The same proposals would remove six restrictions from the rules for Harrow’s parks, including the bans on foraging, metal detecting and open-water swimming.
The changes are in five draft Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs). They would replace the current orders, which expire in January 2027, and run from 1 February 2027 to 31 January 2030 (Harrow Council consultation FAQs).
The consultation opened on 5 October. The council’s consultation page says it closes at 11.59pm on Sunday 15 November, but its own FAQs give 13 November, so reply by Friday 13 November to be safe (MyHarrow Talk). The survey had 85 responses when we checked on 21 October.
What would change
A PSPO lets a council make certain behaviour an offence in a defined public area. Harrow has five: the whole borough, town and district centres, housing estates, parks and open spaces, and two specified places (Bentley Priory Nature Reserve and The Viewpoint).
The council’s FAQs list these changes.
Across the whole borough:
- Side waste. A new ban on “leaving and/or depositing any rubbish or waste, including but not limited to household waste, and builders waste outside of any bin or receptacle provided for this purpose”. It comes out of the housing estates order because the borough-wide order would cover it.
- Drinking. Officers could still tell you to stop drinking in public. The order would add that alcohol “must not be consumed in a way that causes, or is likely to cause, nuisance or annoyance”.
- Psychoactive substances. Using them stays banned, but the requirement to hand them over to an officer goes.
- Engine idling. The ban would apply to non-electric vehicles only.
- Blocking access. The wording would spell out that dropped kerbs and public footpaths count.
In the parks: the new order would drop the restrictions on:
- magnet fishing
- camping overnight to fish
- metal detecting
- CCTV
- open-water swimming
- foraging
The town and district centres order and the specified places order are unchanged (draft orders).
The council has not said why the six park restrictions are going. Dropping them from the PSPO means they would no longer be offences under that order. The consultation papers do not say whether other park rules would still apply, so check before you take a metal detector or a swimming costume to a council park.
What stays the same
Most of the current rules carry over. Across the whole borough, the draft order keeps bans and requirements on:
- picking up after your dog, and carrying a bag to do it
- keeping a dog under proper control
- urinating, defecating or spitting in public
- parking on pavements and verges without a reasonable excuse
- riding bikes or e-scooters on pavements in a way that causes nuisance
- smoking, vaping included, in children’s play areas
- fires and barbecues outside designated places
- setting off fireworks in a public place without written consent
- groups of three or more causing alarm, who can be told to leave for 24 hours
In the parks, dogs still do not have to be on a lead everywhere. At Bentley Priory Nature Reserve they must be on a lead in Spring Meadow from 1 April to 31 July, and at all times in the Deer Path Corridor.
Feeding ducks and other birds is allowed in every park except Pinner Memorial Park, where it is limited to a marked area, the council says. In town centres, throwing food for birds or vermin stays restricted.
Fines
The council says a breach can lead to a fixed penalty notice or prosecution. Its published fines table puts a PSPO fixed penalty at £100 (Harrow Council fixed penalty table). Fly-tipping is a separate offence under environmental law with larger fines. Our story on how Harrow’s litter enforcement works sets out the full table.
What it means for you
- If you leave bags, boxes or rubble beside a bin, on the street or by a communal bin, you could be fined under the borough-wide order from February, if the proposal goes ahead.
- If you forage, metal detect, magnet fish or swim in a Harrow park, the PSPO would no longer cover you. Check the park’s own rules first.
- Bins at flats work differently. Harrow’s communal bins use different colours from house bins; our Harrow bin collection days page explains which is which.
How to have your say
Fill in the survey on MyHarrow Talk. You can comment on all five orders or just the ones that matter to you. The draft orders and maps are on the same page.
The council is also running drop-in sessions, each from 10am to 11am:
| Date | Library |
|---|---|
| Tuesday 27 October | Roxeth Library |
| Tuesday 3 November | Stanmore Library |
| Tuesday 10 November | Wealdstone Library |
Earlier sessions were held at Greenhill, Kenton and Pinner libraries.
What happens next
The council will weigh the responses alongside enforcement evidence, the legal tests and an Equality Impact Assessment. The proposals may change. The FAQs say Cabinet is expected to make the final decision in December 2026.
Sources
- Harrow Public Spaces Protection Orders 2027-2030, MyHarrow Talk consultation page, with the five draft orders (accessed 21 October 2026).
- Consultation FAQs, for the list of changes, the 2027 to 2030 dates, bird feeding, dog control and the Cabinet timetable.
- Harrow Council fixed penalty notice table, for the £100 PSPO penalty.
Have your say