Driver fears accident if roundabout verges not cut

Overgrown verges had been impacting visibility on one roundabout in Suffolk

Residents said they feared uncut road verges were creating a safety hazard at a major A-road roundabout in Suffolk.

Parts of the county, including the Seven Hills roundabout east of Ipswich, have seen grass grow rapidly as the weather has warmed up following the prolonged rainy spell.

Steve Bartlett, who lives near Seven Hills, said he feared there would be accidents.

Suffolk County Council said it was due to carry out the year's first cut at the roundabout next week.

Mr Bartlett said that motorists faced a lack of visibility when approaching Seven Hills - a roundabout that they were used to driving straight on to when grass was shorter and they could see the road was clear.

"If you can see that the roundabout is clear fully, with nothing coming at all, then you should be able to go straight away," he said.

"The problem is that there might be more of a risk of an accident with the high grass on the verges than there would be if it was clear."

The county council said it carried out two standard cuts of the verges throughout the year

Jonathan Carr-West, chief exec of Local Government Information Unit, said councils were "obliged to maintain the highway" including grass verges.

"Their legal obligation is around the highway maintenance so they are obliged to cut grass so that it does not impeach on the highway or create a hazard," he explained.

He added that the role was not to make the verges look nice but to ensure they were not a hazard.

A council spokesperson said its highways team conducts two cuts per year on A and B roads to "maintain visibility".

They added that "wet and warm weather adding to growth" will mean the council will cut sections "more than usual if deemed unsafe by inspections or if road users report issues".

The council said its first cuts of the year across Suffolk commenced on 6 May.

Work on the verges on the A12 between Seven Hills and Lowestoft were due to begin on Monday, 27 May.

Similar work on roads around Kesgrave were scheduled for 10 June.