Protecting businesses and residents during Notting Hill Carnival

The annual Notting Hill Carnival brightened and enlivened the capital as up to two million people descended on the streets of London over the August Bank Holiday weekend. The festival, one of the UK’s premier events, featured some of the country’s best performers, bands and Caribbean costumes. But with revellers taking to the open streets and packed into a small area, this posed a significant risk to the public and their property.

The brief

Although the carnival can have a positive impact on the community and tourism in the area, not all visitors act in a responsible way. Homeowners, businesses, and residents complain of drunken and disorderly conduct, vandalism, fly tipping and gardens and doorsteps being used as public toilets.

We are contacted by people living and working within the streets of W10 and W11, around Notting Hill. The private landlords and owners are keen to ensure the safety, security and even sanitation of their properties.

Whilst we have been contacted to help in previous years, this was our busiest yet with double the number of enquiries about our services. It is one of our busiest times of year with both the office teams and operatives working tirelessly to ensure that everyone’s needs are met, and things go as seamlessly as possible.

The solution

As with previous years, the solution was to protect the properties by restricting access.

Our team, led by Site Supervisor Nerio, were tasked with securing the site and keeping the area safe from unwanted intruders, vandals, and overexcited partygoers.

This year we hired out and installed over 300 temporary fencing panels 2 days before the event. These were to be placed along the festival route as the procession passed through people’s gardens.

Whilst some owners wanted vacant properties made secure, others still required constant access to their homes throughout the weekend. The solution to this is of course the addition of lockable pedestrian gates.

Tarpaulin was also added to increase privacy and restrict visibility of the homes the fences stood to protect.

The outcome 

As we arrived to remove the temporary fence panels at the end of the weekend, more residents took our details for next year.

It is upsetting to witness the mess and destruction left behind, but good to see the benefit of the work that we completed. Whilst it is sad to see the neighbours (whose gardens we were not hired to protect) reluctantly sweep urine away from their doorsteps, it is good to know that we can help next year.

This year we protected almost 70 homes and with the footfall of the event increasing, it is inevitable that the number will rise next year.

We were really pleased with the positive feedback on our services, our Managing Director Michael Knibbs praised our teams involved:

“We have helped private landlords and owners protect their homes during the Notting Hill Carnival for several years now.

The community and residents of Notting Hill often experience vandalism, fly-tipping and, in some cases, human waste being left on their properties. The project is a significant undertaking for us, and our teams excel in working together to complete the work on time and to a high standard. We specialise in this area and are glad to be of service to protect homes during what should be an event full of celebration and fun.”