The winds and rain on Sunday brought a lot of leaves down on the Market Place resulting in piles of wet leaves during the Abingdon Marathon and Monday Market. However, today, the town council staff cleared away the fallen leaves on the Market Place, which is their land.

There is a regular litter sweeper near the town centre, probably employed by the district council. Additional staff members have been deployed to assist with the sweeping and clearing operations with the extra task of fallen leaves.

There are not as many leaves underfoot at St Helen’s Wharf today as during the marathon on Sunday. But leaves continue to fall, and there are lots more to follow.

How Leaves Fall in Autumn
After the tree re-absorbs nutrients from its leaves, hormones cause a corky layer of cells, called the abscission layer, to form at the base of the leaf stem. This weakens the leaf’s connection to the tree. Eventually, a leaf falls due to its weight or helped by wind and rain and frost. Leaf fall helps trees save energy during the winter.