Thousands of canisters of laughing gas have been collected in the clean up following Notting Hill Carnival - but the number is half what was found in 2023.
Around 6,000 canisters of Nitrous Oxide weighing an estimated six tonnes have been separated from other rubbish left following Europe’s largest carnival on Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday.
Kensington and Chelsea Council (RBKC) told the Standard half as many canisters have been collected compared to 2022 when 12,000 canisters, weighing 13 tonnes, were left on the streets of west London.
Possession of laughing gas with the intent of getting high was made illegal last November, with repeat offenders facing up to two years in jail.
Hundreds of tonnes of rubbish were also been swept up from the streets where the carnival took place.
A team of 200 staff and 30 refuse trucks from SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK worked through the night on Sunday and Monday to remove 300 tonnes of rubbish from the streets.
Waste crews will also spend the coming days cleaning basements and removing graffiti left during Europe’s largest carnival, as part of a free council clean-up service.
Around 1,000 toilets were also placed on the streets of Notting Hill to help keep the area clean throughout the carnival.
Around 30 per cent of the waste collected will be recycled, the council said.
On Tuesday morning, a woman remained in a critical condition in hospital after being stabbed at the carnival, which she had been attending with her young child.
The Metropolitan Police said in an update on Monday evening there had been five stabbings, two incidents where victims sustained slash wounds and one incident involving a corrosive substance, linked to the event.
RBKC councillor Kim Taylor-Smith, lead member for culture, said: “We are immensely proud to host Carnival in our borough and to welcome almost two million people who want to join us in celebrating Caribbean culture at Europe’s biggest community event.
“Clearing up when the music stops and the crowds head home is a huge task for us and our partner SUEZ, and I am grateful to the 200 unsung heroes who were out overnight on Sunday and Monday to clear hundreds of tonnes of rubbish.
“Their hard work means that our residents and businesses in Notting Hill woke up on Tuesday morning to find their streets restored to normal just hours after the end of this year’s Carnival.”
