Devon residents are angry about unkempt grass areas which they say are taking over parts of Plymouth. The following is a story from a woman who says her daily walks left her ‘covered in ticks and midges’ due to unkempt grass, and many readers are also sharing their experiences.
Plymouth City Council says it acknowledges the concerns of some residents, but numerous others and environmental partners have praised their efforts. The council explains that a small section of grass is deliberately left “uncut to serve nature”, so longer grass and flowers provide food and shelter for insects.
One reader, Eastparky, wrote: “I’ve just walked from the station through the tube into town. The grass areas in the tube are a disgrace. To me it’s a textbook example of current Plymouth: run down and neglected.”
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Another commenter, Mac59, raised safety concerns: “This is the case throughout Plymouth and Cornwall. Does the council take responsibility when an accident occurs due to overgrown verges and traffic islands?”
DickRichard2 commented on the problem: “The concerns of Plymouth residents are common across Devon. All councils try to cover up their inaction by saying they don’t mow to help the environment. While this may be the case in some areas, in general you see far too much overgrown grass and very few, if any, flowers. In many places across Devon, road safety is compromised by overgrown verges and hedges. Unfortunately, all sorts of excuses are made – but in reality it’s all about money!”
Expressing his frustration, Marleymoo explained: “The grass now needs to be cut. In some places it is worse than others. The grass is so high that you can hardly see it when you come from a side road onto a main road. Not only does it look awful, but when it is cut, the grass gets blown everywhere and also clogs up the drains.”
Another reader, Mottsy, commented: “Plymouth is now a weed town, not a seaside town. Curbs and grass verges are full of weeds, hedges are so overgrown you have to dodge them when walking on the pavement. The long so-called wilderness areas are also full of dog poo. Bees, butterflies and insects are beyond belief, what about the health risks to children etc?”
Council staff manage approximately 1,000 football pitches of council-owned land across Plymouth, including sports fields, parks, play areas, wild meadows, roadside verges and public open spaces.
A Plymouth City Council spokesman responded: “While we accept that some residents have concerns about our lawn care in Plymouth, many other residents and also numerous environmental partners have praised our efforts.”
“We manage the 700 hectares of grassland in Plymouth on a 60:40 basis. This means that the majority of the grassland is mown at regular intervals, while the smaller part is left unmown to benefit nature.”
This approach allows for longer grass and flowers, which provide food and habitat for insects such as bees, butterflies and grasshoppers. This allows Plymouth to do its bit to tackle the biodiversity crisis while maintaining parks, open spaces and roadsides. “At this time of year the grass is always a little longer between cuts due to the weather and we have adjusted some of our schedules accordingly.”
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