Vegetation trimmed to deter lewd liaisons
BUSHES at a popular nature park have been chopped back in a bid to deter hedonists using them to indulge in daytime sex trysts.
The move is part of ongoing action at picturesque Groby Pool, long plagued by individuals meeting up to engage in intimate acts.
Officers from Hinckley and Bosworth’s community safety partnership team and the green spaces department have worked on thinning out foliage and removing trees bordering walkways and around the car park.
These were the main areas where lewd goings-on were reported, whether it was dogging or gay men seeking fun.
Groby Pool has a reputation as a favourite site for licentious hook-ups and is listed on an adult website with the description: “There are two sides to the car park and a nature trail behind it with plenty of hidden paths and thick bushes for a little privacy.
“Park up, get out and follow path through the two gates. Go into bushes, bound to find someone you like at peak times. Also Sheet Hedges Wood.”
In May the activity prompted extra police patrols and groundswork. Efforts to cut back vegetation has continued and recently some trees have been taken out to further open up the aspect.
Ward councillor Ozzy O’Shea said: “Seeing as people were meeting and engaging in activities behind the bushes we thought the best idea would be to thin them out so there is nowhere to hide.
“Groby Pool is a community facility and we don’t want anyone engaging in that sort of activity there.
“This isn’t about having anything against anyone’s sexuality, at the end of the day whether it’s men, women, whoever, we cannot have that sort of behaviour with the danger of members of the public coming across it in broad daylight.
“It’s a lovely walk around the pool and families go there with children and to be exposed to some of these actions is not right.”
Many reports have come in about naked men meeting for gay sex with one complaint referencing a man in a gold lame dress offering “services”.
Cllr O’Shea said anyone who did see anything untoward should report it to the borough council, and if they wished, Leicestershire Police.
The force are aware of the issues and mount patrols in the area.
Reputedly the largest natural expanse of open water in Leicestershire, Groby Pool is a 38 acre lake located opposite the quarry on Newtown Linford Lane and bordering Bradgate Park. Home to a variety of wildlife and waterfowl the scenic site is ideal for a picnic or a country stroll and is a choice spot for dog walkers.
Groby Meadow has also been closed to the public for similar reasons but also to allow Severn Trent to carry out work with heavy machinery and to ensure safe grounds maintenance using powerful weedkillers.