DIRTY nappies, a beheaded fox, and a vandalism spree - clashes over a care home's expansion have turned even nastier.
An angry resident delivered the nappy to the care home's manager, along with a letter accusing its staff of fly-tipping.
The dirty protest came amid rising tensions over the planned expansion of the home, off Higher Drive in Purley, with neighbours claiming signs have been vandalised and a beheaded fox found on a driveway.
Jenny Sener, who lives in Highland Road, said she came home after a weekend away to find rubbish all over the road which she believed had been dumped by staff at nearby Highfield House – a high-dependency care home.
Among the litter was a dirty nappy, so Mrs Sener donned some surgical gloves, scooped it up and delivered it to the care home manager along with a letter.
"Accompanying the hand delivery of this letter to you today is a bag of refuse collected from the top left hand side of Highland Road, which your staff use as their personal car park," she wrote.
"In addition to the usual refuse, there is also a baby's nappy. This was dumped on the side of the road in yet another act of disgraceful disrespect for the environment and residents.
"Your staff are quite clearly responsible, as I have observed them on my daily early morning walks park their cars at the top of Highland Road and then walk to the care home."
Ms Sener went on to criticise the care home's waste management: "For over 18 months, as I return from my morning walks, I have been picking up and disposing of an endless quantity of Costa Coffee cups, bottles, cans, and sandwich wrappers.
"Crushed glass bottles in particular represent a danger to children and to cars.
"Yesterday morning, after returning from a weekend away, I was disgusted to see the top of Highland Road covered in litter yet again, including a nappy.
"This was really the last straw and my patience and goodwill are at an end."
The resident – who volunteers at the Royal Marsden Hospital – then threatened to continue a dirty protest if the care home did not solve the problem.
"Any further litter encountered in the areas where your staff park will be removed and deposited on the front doorstep of the care home.
"In this way your staff will come to understand how offensive it is to residents to have rubbish dumped in front of their homes."
Carolina Walicka, the care home employee who was presented with the rubbish bag and letter, said: "We have written a letter back to Ms Sener and will be investigating the matter.
"I do not think it is our staff, as there was a can of special brew and a KFC box in the rubbish. However, we wish to make her happy, so will be looking into the matter."
Police confirmed they were investigating reports of criminal damage on a street sign and that residents had told the local safer neighbourhoods team about the headless fox.
