Hackney Council issued so many fines in one of its parks over the weekend that enforcement officers ran out of paper.

Seventy-two £150 penalties were issued by enforcement officers in London Fields and the surrounding side streets last weekend (May 30 and 31) for littering and urinating.

It prompted Hackney mayor Philip Glanville to tweet: “Every adult that visited one of our parks this weekend, got drunk (or not), made a choice to leave behind rubbish, piss against a tree or worse, they’re morally culpable and should reflect on what they did.

“[The] council issued so many fines at one point we ran out of paper. It must stop.”

This comes as Hackney Council put 84 new large commercial-capacity bins around the borough and extended public toilets’ opening hours to between 12 noon to 9pm each day.

Graham Hodgkins, park keeper at London Fields, said: “I’m proud to be one of the team keeping our parks looking at their best, but we really need everyone’s help this summer to keep them looking beautiful and clean.”

Hackney Council has implemented its full summer waste collection routines for its parks a month early, which means more rubbish will be picked up in the morning and evening.

Last year, these rubbish collections cost nearly £100,000 on top of £80,000 for additional bins.

Cllr Jon Burke, cabinet member for energy, waste, transport and public realm, described the green spaces as a “vital resource” and the littering “unacceptable”: “Not only are people putting themselves and others at risk from coronavirus - they’re placing an even bigger strain on the council’s resources when our annual government grant has been cut by £140m since 2010.”

Cllr Caroline Selman, cabinet member for community safety, policy, and the voluntary sector, agreed: “It is completely unacceptable that some have chosen to abuse this precious resource and disrespect the members of the community that live nearby.”

She continued: “We are committed to continuing to work with our partners to tackle this and ensure that our community can continue to enjoy our parks and relax in their homes free from the anti-social behaviour of an inconsiderate few.”