Unseasonal wet weather has been causing a problem for the Council’s grass cutters as they battle to keep verges cut across the borough.
Grass cutting started again at the end of March, but the country has just experienced the wettest April since records began with May seeing no real improvement.
This has proved a challenge for English Landscapes, the council’s grounds maintenance contractor, as many of the verges across the area have been flooded and inaccessible and the heavy rain has also led to much greater growth for this time of year.
Cllr Kevin Blake, cabinet member for leisure and arts, says: “Many residents will have seen their own gardens grow very quickly for this time of year, and the situation across the borough is the same – except that we have 1 million square feet of grass to look after.
“English Landscapes have made great efforts and have managed to get as much of the grass cut as possible without damaging verges, but there are verges that they have not been able to touch, due to what in grass cutting terms are quite extreme conditions.
“I would like to ask residents for their patience and assure them that we realise how important it is to get the basics right and to keep our borough neat and tidy. That is why any verges that we have not been able to cut up until now, will be done as soon as this bad weather clears and the ground dries up.”
|