Residents of Brighton and Hove claim their pavements are becoming trip hazards after they have become overgrown with weeds.
The Green Party-run council pledged in 2019 to become a pesticide- and herbicide-free city by 2022, and stopped using the chemical glyphosate which is present in most weed killers.
But now those living in the area claim walkways and public areas are being taken over by plants.
Robert Nemeth, a Conservative Party councillor for Wish ward in Brighton, told the Times: ‘It’s all very well for a trendy city-dweller to say, “Let’s rewild our pavements,” after hearing about the cause for the first time.
‘They probably haven’t got any friends who are elderly or disabled, who are most likely to be seriously injured under the current unsatisfactory situation.’
According to the paper, two elderly women have ended up in hospital after falling on damaged pavements.
Pictures of overgrown pavements have emerged showing the extent of the problem.
It comes after some 200 residents petitioned the council last year to improve its management of weeds in the area.
The petition read: ‘We the undersigned petition Brighton and Hove Council to effectively manage the increasing issue of weeds growing from the pavements and walkways causing damage to the pavements that will inadvertently cost the taxpayer and divert future funds for other projects.
‘The weeds are dangerous in paces causing trip hazards and they are detrimental to the aesthetics of our city.
‘We acknowledge the council policy to not use chemical weed killers but that doesn’t mean they should not be removed and left to take over pavements and walkways.
‘The weeds need to be manually removed or by another means suitable and clear walkways maintained.
‘It’s clear funding is not being used for regular refuse/recycling collection, street cleaning, park or green space maintenance or that of the roads and pavements so I beg to question where local tax payers money is going when other councils seem to manage all the above issues to a far better degree.’
Although the issue first seemed to emerge as a result of the coronavirus lockdown, the problem still appears to persist as restrictions have eased.
A spokesperson for Brighton and Hove Council said many residents ‘have welcomed the weeds as habitats for insects and bees and complain’ when they’re removed.
They added the weed problem had been exacerbated by staff shortages during the pandemic, and said the weather had contributed to ‘a growth spurt’. They said an external contractor will be brought in to help speed up removal.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Share this with