Overgrown grass in city prompts 'deluge' of complaints

Motorists say the long grass has made it difficult to see

Residents in Derby have called for the city's overgrown grass to be cut after branding it a dangerous eyesore.

Grass has been left to grow in many parts of the the city, which the Local Democracy Reporting Service said had led to a "deluge" of complaints to Derby City Council.

Motorists said they could not see oncoming traffic at some roundabouts and junctions because of the long grass.

The council said its teams were responding accordingly to "one of the wettest winters on record".

Derby City Council has blamed the wet and warm weather for the excess growth

Hardyal Dhindsa, a Labour cabinet member at the city council, said recent wet weather meant grass cutting teams were not able to mow as much over the past few months.

He said the lack of grass cutting was not due to the No Mow May scheme, which sees a temporary stop on mowing during May to allow flowers to blossom and wildlife to thrive.

"Our teams began cutting at the end of March and have only had to stop because of waterlogged sites following one of the wettest winter periods on record", he said.

"As the weather improves, we will be able to return to these areas."

'Can't see what is coming'

Many of the complaints have come from people living in Mickleover.

Resident Mrs Hann told the BBC: "It is dangerous on corners of roads with the high grass, you can’t see what’s coming."

Another Mickleover resident Rosara Lakin said: "It looks unkempt. It’s not representing Mickleover as we want it to, I’m actually quite good with scissors so I think I could cut it myself."

Dave Franklin, who lives on Station Road, said: “It can get reasonably long but it's just too long. I guess it saves a lot of money for the council not to cut the grass.

"When you are driving, a car can suddenly appear because the long grass hides it."

Manny Sandhu has seen the silver lining to the long grass

However, Manny Sandhu, who works in Mickleover, said the long grass was a positive thing for wildlife.

"I think it's good as long as it's temporary", he said.

"It's great because it helps the bees and helps plants pollenate."

Councillor Dhindsa told LDRS: "We have not made any decision to leave verges in Mickleover to grow uncontrolled, however the wet and warm weather has led to excessive grass growth.

"This is beyond our control, but our teams are still working hard to keep acres of grass mown across the whole city.

“Residents who are concerned about the height of grass at junctions should report this to us online."

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