BritainPublic spacesParks and recriminationsYoungsters take over London's fanciest parks, to the displeasure of localsHampstead heath is home to many fine creatures.Purse web spiders, green woodpeckers, brimstone butterflies and kestrels have all found peace in the oddity that is London's 790-acre moorland.They roam happily alongside a near-mythical tribe: north London's metropolitan elite.But the current chieftain, Marc Hutchinson, a solicitor and chair of the Heath & Hampstead Society, is unhappy with the heath's most recent arrivals: drunken young people.When covid struck last spring, open spaces across Britain were flooded with youngsters looking for somewhere to socialise.The habit has stuck, much to the annoyance of regular parkgoers.Local newspapers are filled with complaints about anti-social behaviour spoiling beauty spots.In most places, locals are powerless. Not so in London's most expensive neighbourhoods.Battle lines were first drawn in Primrose Hill, where residents say they were besieged by raves, fireworks, knife crime and "drug cars".Their solution was to lock the park at night. Sir Keir Starmer, Labour leader and a local MP, offered support.
