Famous London tourist attraction could be moved because people keep urinating on it – Metro.co.uk

November 13, 2024 ndowd

NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Locals have expressed their sadness that a popular Earl’s Court tourist attraction will be moved – because people won’t stop urinating on it.
The much-loved police box, which has been likened to the tardis off Doctor Who, has been greeting tube riders outside of Earl’s Court station for almost 30 years.
But now, Kensington and Chelsea Council have announced that the box will be moved from its spot outside the station to a new location on Hogarth Road, which locals say is a ‘shame.’
George, who has worked in a stall just metres from the police box for more than 40 years, says the council shouldn’t be moving the popular sight.
He told Metro: ‘The box has been here a long time, it’s been a part of my working day for so long.
‘It will be sad to see it go because it’s a tourist attraction – lots of people come here and take pictures outside of the police box. It brings more people to my store, because people come to the shop after seeing the box.
‘It’s not nice to see it go, the council shouldn’t be moving it, they should leave it. It brings people to Earl’s Court.’
Jean, a lady who had seen the box for the first time today, said she couldn’t understand why people would choose to urinate on such a sight.
After stopping to take a look at the tardis-like box, Jean said: ‘I was just passing by and it’s the first thing I saw.
‘Seeing the box provokes all sorts of thoughts from my childhood, I grew up on Doctor Who. I think for older people it’s a little more normal to see a police box but for me it was a shock.
‘It’s difficult to understand why anyone would wee on it. I think the box is lovely, and in such a good location, I hope they end up keeping it.’
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Another big Doctor Who fan, Andrea, commented: ‘When I saw the box I just had to take a picture.
‘It’s a shame they’re moving it. Why would anyone wee on it? People are weird.’
According to the council’s outline of their plan, the box is being relocated due to ‘street urination’ and its ‘cramped setting.’
The relocation would enable staff to make the tardis ‘more prominent’ in a more suitable setting, while keeping it close to the heart of Earl’s Court, say the council.
The document reads: ‘The police watchbox is a much loved and photographed feature of Earl’s Court.
‘Its current location is squeezed in between the lampposts, the kiosk, and the busy main road and street urination occurs in the spaces between. It is a very cramped setting.’
‘It is proposed to move it to the corner of Hogarth Road to make it more prominent and enhance its setting, while still keeping it close to the heart of Earl’s Court.’
The box was originally installed in 1996 thanks to contributions from local businesses and the London Underground in a bid to crack down on crime and anti-social behaviour in the area.
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It was, back then, fitted with a phone for public use, but in recent years has become solely a tourist attraction.
Local police officer John Hodges, who died in 2023, led the project to install the ‘tardis’ nearly 30 years ago and is remembered on the sight’s door.
Londoners are welcome to give their opinions on the plans until Monday November 18.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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