A mud run event attended by thousands has been banned from a north London park after the damage it caused at the weekend was branded an “environmental disgrace”.
Tough Mudder hosted the obstacle course event in Finsbury Park on Saturday and Sunday, leaving a trail of churned mud across parts of the park.
Tottenham MP David Lammy said that he was “utterly appalled” by the damage, describing it as an “environmental disgrace”.
Following the outcry, Haringey Council has now confirmed that future Tough Mudder events will be banned from Finsbury Park.
Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn said that the park “must be repaired” and that he was “utterly disgusted” by the way it had been treated.
I sureyed the damage today. Utterly appalled. I have nothing against @Toughmudder but Finsbury Park is an inner city urban park and the damage done is an environmental disgrace. There are serious questions about how and why this licence was granted, enforced and policed.
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) April 16, 2023
Tough Mudder, which claims to be the "world’s best obstacle course and mud run", said that it would work to “restore and repair the damaged area of the park”.
The charity Friends of Finsbury Park said it was “devastated” by the damage.
It added: “The damage is considerable, covers most of the park and will make lots of the park unusable for a good while.”
Cllr Mike Hakata, deputy leader of Haringey Council, said: “I visited Finsbury Park on Saturday night and was upset to see the scale of damage that has been caused to grass areas across the site.
“We have seen considerable rainfall over recent weeks, which has saturated the ground and will need repair. This will be rectified as soon as possible, and any cost will be covered by the event organisers.
“The impact of the event this year has caused several weeks’ worth of damage to the park and as a result we have had to rethink our approach.
“To prevent the risk of this repeating, we have decided that this event will not be held in Finsbury Park going forward.”
A spokesperson for Tough Mudder said: “Tough Mudder prides itself on working in tandem with all its venues, local authorities and key stakeholders and has been in close communication with Haringey Council for the entire process and throughout the event at Finsbury Park.
“Together, we recognise the damage to the park and the impact it has had on the surrounding community.
“We are working with all relevant stakeholders to restore and repair the damaged areas of the park.”
Video credit: Twitter/@j_syz
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