Locals in Devon are angry about unruly lawns which they say are taking over parts of Plymouth. It follows one woman’s story of being “covered in ticks and midges” during her daily walks due to unkempt grass, with many readers also sharing their experiences.
Plymouth City Council said that while it acknowledged the concerns of some residents, a number of others, along with environmental partners, praised their efforts. The council explains that a small section of grass is deliberately left “unmown for nature”, allowing longer grass and flowers to serve as food and shelter for insects.
One reader, Eastparky, shared: “I’ve just taken the underground from the train station into the city. The grassy areas of the underground are a disgrace. It sums up Plymouth for me at the moment, neglected and neglected.”
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Another commenter, Mac59, raised safety issues: “It’s everywhere in Plymouth and Cornwall, will the council take responsibility if there’s an accident due to overgrown verges and traffic islands?”
DickRichard2 said of the issue: “The concerns of Plymouth residents are echoed across Devon. All councils are trying to cover up their inaction by saying that the lack of grass cutting is helping the environment. While this may be the case in a few areas, in general you will see a lot of overgrown grass and very few flowers – if any In many places across Devon road safety is compromised by overgrown verges and hedgerows – but really it’s all about the money!”
Marleymoo expressed his frustration by saying: “The grass now needs to be cut, some areas are worse than others, the grass is so tall that if you drive your car and come off a side road onto the main road. Not only does it look awful and when the grass blows everywhere and clogs the drains too.”
Another Mottsy reader commented: “Plymouth is a weed town now, not an ocean town. The curbs and grass verges are full of weeds, the hedges are overgrown so you have to avoid them when walking on the footpaths. The long so-called wild areas also end up with dog mess everywhere. Nevermind bees, butterflies and insects, what about health risks for children, etc.
Council crews oversee around 1,000 football pitches worth of council-owned land across Plymouth, including sports fields, parks, play facilities, wild meadows, roadsides and community open spaces.
A spokesman for Plymouth City Council responded: “While we recognize that some residents have concerns about how we manage grass in Plymouth, many other residents and indeed a number of environmental partners have praised our efforts.”
“We manage 700 hectares of grass in Plymouth on a 60-40 basis; that’s the majority of the grass cut on a regular cycle, with the minority managed uncut for nature.”
This approach allows longer grass and flowers to provide food and homes for insects such as bees, butterflies and grasshoppers, ensuring that Plymouth contributes to tackling the biodiversity crisis while maintaining parks, open spaces and roadsides. “At this time of year the weather means the grass always gets a bit longer between mowings and we’ve adjusted some of our plans accordingly.”
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