A councillor has called for a “commonsense” approach to mowing overgrown verges, with people in his ward citing safety concerns for people and animals.
Concerns include overgrowth hindering the lines of sight at junctions, putting pedestrians, cyclists and people in cars at risk.
Independent councillor Peter Atkinson said: “Many verges did not receive a spring cut in April as it was too wet.
“Then there was ‘no mow May’ and the council are now saying that the verges won’t receive attention until July.”
Councillor Atkinson, who represents North Portslade on Brighton and Hove City Council, said: “The decision not to mow in June was apparently taken by the last Green administration.
“This is totally unacceptable. We need to apply some common sense here. Overgrown grass verges can be dangerous for older people if they need to walk across them.
“They also make life very difficult for dog owners as it’s impossible to pick up dog poo if the grass is very long on the verge.
“You also have the problem of dogs getting seeds embedded in their paws.
“If we’re not careful the council teams will have major problems actually cutting the grass as it will simply be too long for their mowers.
“We will also have mounds of grass cuttings on pavements which may get wet and be a slip hazard. A small amount of cuttings normally gets blown away but this will be much more than normal.
“It just doesn’t make sense. I was impressed when the administration reintroduced weed spraying. That was long overdue and was welcomed by most residents.
“We need to adopt the same commonsense approach to the grass verges. I’ve been inundated with emails, phone calls and Facebook posts asking for the verges to be cut back.”
In West Blatchington, one resident said that the weeds and grass had grown higher than the black base or carcass of a red postbox and was typical of the unkempt look of the area.
The council said: “Verges are cut in the early part of the spring but then left to grow and flower during May and June to support biodiversity.
“Our team does continue to cut back verges where growth makes highway visibility difficult or if residents make us aware of specific problems.
“We would always encourage people to contact us directly if they have concerns so we can tackle any issues as quickly as possible.”
Thank god for Cllr Atkinson who really does listen to residents and sticks up for ward. The other councilor has been MIA for the past year.
Another Labour councillor, from outside the city, parachuted in by Sir Keir Starmer‽
Managed wilding is the solution!
Should work for the pollinators and for insects as bird food and for everyone else too ( though I doubt that last bit somehow…)!
Typical of a council who has run out of money cut down on the maintenance of everything
Or in this case yet another genius scheme from the Greens, implemented for ideological reasons, and without considering the consequences.
I haven’t seen a Meerkat for ages
Cut the grass Simples?
Sometimes I can’t get out of my drive ..cars and transits block my exit because of over grown grass verge..can never get in touch with anybody..
try contacting your councillors and and reporting city clean using the on line form, not e mail and not telephone then its registered.
What has an overgrown verge got to do with being able to reverse out of your driveway? Unless you are suggesting cars are parked on the verge, which is a driver problem, not a problem of overgrown verges.
Seeing too many areas now restricting the view of drivers at junctions and roundabouts especially if you have a low vehicle or classic.