Volunteers have reacted in uproar over a ‘litter crisis’ at a leisure destination that has recently closed in Bracknell town centre.
Volunteers have hit out over a “litter crisis” at The Point, a former leisure destination in Bracknell town centre that fully closed in October last year.
The Bracknell Litter Pickers — a volunteer group that runs bi-weekly and monthly picks — posted photos showing an overflowing bin, rubbish across the floor and bags of litter collected from the site.
The Odeon cinema and the Pizza Hut shut in June, and the Hollywood Bowl vacated in October. The site is currently being managed by Savills estate agents.
Lewis Currington, 31, from Crown Wood, one of the organisers, emailed Savills about the situation. His email states: “This is nothing short of disgraceful.
“The bins remain exactly where they were, overflowing with rubbish. Litter is strewn absolutely everywhere – across the car parks, pathways, and green areas.
“It is filthy, unhygienic, and utterly disgusting. Worse still, it is now actively attracting rats, posing a serious health risk to shoppers, staff, and local residents.
“This is no longer just an eyesore; it is a public health hazard and a blatant failure of basic site management.”
A Facebook post by the litter pickers about the mess drew around 300 comments and 700 reactions.
Savills say the issue has now been resolved. An agent explained the problem began when the site was mistakenly reported as The Peel Centre — a neighbouring row of big-box stores and the Morrisons supermarket — which caused confusion over who was responsible.
The agent said: “That the site in question is not the Peel Centre, but The Point in Bracknell. As the two sites are located in close proximity, they can easily be mistaken for one another.
“This initial confusion regarding the site names led to the misunderstanding about which location required clearance.
“Savills have now removed all bins surrounding The Point and have cleared all litter and waste from the site.
“ In addition, a litter pick will be carried out twice weekly to ensure the area remains free from any litter or waste build-up.”
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service after the clean-up, Mr Currington added: “This was a kick up the a**e for them to do something. When they acquired that land, they didn't put in place a process to keep it clean. It was a tip, people saw rats running around, no one was in place to clean it, it wasn't very nice.
“People tend to do something after 24 hours with pressure.
“The main issue was people trying to put rubbish in a general waste bin that's full, and it's just a vicious cycle.
“Wind will spew litter everywhere.”
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
