THE HELLISH 'HARRODS EFFECT'

A WALTON PLACE RESIDENT WRITES.....

Those living in Knightsbridge talks of the 'Harrods Effect'.

The 'Effect' manifests itself in various anti social ways....from £1million super cars, driven at vast and reckless speed around roads surrounding Harrods-to rickshaws clogging the streets and prostitutes, drug dealers and beggars plying their trades.

The elegant character of this once beautiful area is more like one of the most squalid sections of Edgware Road: it has become a magnet for unsavoury types with the police powerless to do anything. 
Vast Gulf plated limos park where they will, causing utter congestion: horns from angry drivers cut through the air and the Harrods concierges' could not care less!

The tourist detritus 'of fast food leftovers' is plain to see everywhere.

Rats and foxes have the run of the area.....

To make matters worse Harrods is now seeking greater flexibility to serve alcohol late at night.

We await news of their plans to convert the top two floors into a hotel!

Those thinking a change of owner-from  Fayed to the Qatari Royal Family-would herald a more resident friendly regime have been badly let down. 

There is more late night drinking going on under the 'very religious' Al Thani family than ever there was under Fayed!

Many of us felt that the 'world's best known store' would get it's act together in the face of rising resident resentment-it seems not.

In the next couple of months a Channel 4 'Cutting Edge' documentary will chronicle the sad decline the area. 

Thanks to Harrods Hogarthian scenes have been created in what was once one of London's most beautiful residential areas. 

It seems the Al Thani family care nothing for us....we are just a slaves to their relentless greed.