Food writer shocked by city’s litter, crime and homelessness

A FOOD writer has written about her very mixed impressions of Cardiff following a weekend in the capital.

Charlotte Smith-Jarvis, acting editor of Speciality Food Magazine, questioned the city’s support for homeless people and people with mental illnesses after witnessing “loads of drugged-up folk”.

Writing in her Suffolk Food Stories blog, Ms Smith-Jarvis described her family’s visit to Cardiff as “decidedly bittersweet”.

She added: “I won’t lie, we ate very well, but highlights (or should that be lowlights) of the city break included, ahem: encountering loads (I mean it, loads) of drugged-up folk, during the day, everywhere; witnessing a man humping a bin mid-afternoon; practically wading through rubbish, and taking a river taxi on the litter-strewn river; a gang of teens openly ransacking a Tesco Express, stealing baskets and bagfuls of food and drink; the folk in our neighbouring rooms using our balcony for their own personal Club 18-30 party until 3am.”

The journalist implored: “Come on Cardiff, sort it out. Where’s the support for your homeless and mentally ill? Where are the road sweepers and cleaners? Where’s the sense of pride? It was all a bit sad really.”

But she also did have some positives to share, including High Street’s Pasture restaurant, where she enjoyed “incredible steak, seafood and cocktails”.

She also praised the Matsudai ramen spot in Clare Road, the Tiny Rebel bar in Womanby Street, Wally’s Delicatessen in Royal Arcade, and Dirty Gnocchi in Cardiff Market.

Mrs Smith-Jarvis recommended the “incredible” Bike Park Wales near Merthyr Tydfil and the Four Waterfalls walk in Bannau Brycheiniog.

And she was a fan of the “pretty damn good” Welsh cakes at Cardiff’s

Fabulous bakery, which has branches at Castle Arcade and Mermaid Quay.

“Obviously I was compelled to make them when we got home – if only as a recovery tool,” she wrote.

Responding to the blog, a spokesman for Cardiff Council pointed to the work of its city-centre wardens.

“A new team of officers are patrolling the streets of the city centre to work with South Wales Police and other partners to crack down on antisocial behaviour,” he said.

“With five officers working on each shift each day, the team work closely with other authorities to tackle and report any issues that arise, including working with the outreach team to help rough sleepers, ensuring waste is presented correctly for commercial waste collections, stopping people cycling in areas where it is not permitted, and reporting any criminal activity to the police.”

The council said the number of rough sleepers in the city centre peaked at around 50 in December but had dropped to 20 “although this figure can rise or fall daily”.

The outreach team includes housing support workers, primary care nurses, substance misuse workers, social workers and psychiatrists, which means they could deal with “extremely complex cases”, said the spokesman.

He added that the team “goes out every day to encourage rough sleepers to come in off the street, pointing them towards the services which can help them turn their lives around”.

The council also addressed the issue of litter on riverbanks.

Its spokesman praised the work of voluntary litter-pickers, as well as the Harbour Authority team who patrol the edge of Cardiff Bay each day, but criticised the “completely unnecessary” damage caused by people who litter.

“Undoubtedly there has been tremendous rainfall over the past few months and this has resulted in even more litter being washed downstream,” he said. “But we all need to recognise that this would not be a problem If people didn’t litter and disposed of their waste responsibly.

“The damage they are causing is completely unnecessary. If everyone just took their litter home with them or disposed of it correctly, this wouldn’t be an issue. It’s the same for street litter. People need to take responsibility for their actions.

“None of us enjoy living in a litterstrewn world. The Love Where You Live campaign is all about helping communities take pride and responsibility for where they live, and this council is committed to working with Keep Wales Tidy to do what we can to improve things.”