Billy's Lake — Attraction in Winchester

I used to go to Billy’s lake for years and was sick a beautiful place to go even taking my son there the community helping to make it a better place

I visited yesterday to spend the day with my nephew and was appalled by the state of it now and the way visitors are treating it was was on swim 2 witch has never been the best of swims but turning up there were you he kids who had been there the night and had thrown there rubbish in the stream and bushes behind and then leaving there place left a tent ground mat bedding and all there rubbish to the move to another swim where they had been setting fires and smashing the barricade to pieces

It is ment to be covered by cctv and I was rather upset of seeing it like aswell as broken paths that were broken...

As a user of this area for years I would like to know were all the wild life has gone because we no longer see any , we do see plenty of rubbish and mostly what the fisherman leave , as for the signs that say do not obstruct the path when fishing, tents and multiple lines are out and it is impossible to walk along the path next to the lake . I think that it’s such a shame people do not respect the country side and leave litter were it is dropped. No longer ducks ,swans, very few morehens, how can this be conservatism, my sympathies to the volunteers who try to clean up after these thoughtless people who are so inconsiderate, if people fish they should take their rubbish home or use the bins...

The real name is Soak Sandpits, Billy's Lake refers to William [Billy] Hunt who lived up the road from me. We used to play on and around the ponds, rafts etc. It got the name Billy's Lake at school, as it was through his parents garden that school friends gained access to the fields that lead...