Birmingham grass verges uncut over lack of equipment

Verges have not been tended since the council took over the service in March

Grass verges across a city have gone uncut because the council took over the service without the equipment to do it.

Birmingham City Council stopped using its outside contractor for the job in March.

One resident expressed frustration that grass near his home was unkempt while bordering Solihull had tended greenery.

The council leader said the authority now had the gear to tackle a "big job", with work happening throughout the summer.

Among areas with overgrown verges is Hall Green.

Grass there on Wellfield Road, at the junction with Redstone Farm Road, neighbours Solihull, which has a different local authority.

A resident, who wished not to be named, said: "We've had issues with the bin collections and now we have issues with theses verges, it's just not good.

"We're paying our council tax, so it should be done."

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"It's a big job," the council leader says

Councillor Robert Alden, leader of the opposition Tory group, said: "[The controlling Labour group] took this decision to bring [the service] in-house last June and back in December they had a report saying they had to commence the procurement by January, and yet they didn't take that decision until 27 March, one day till they took over the service."

Ian Ward, council leader, said: "We've had to procure new equipment to carry out all of the grass cutting and we've had to wait to the start of this financial year to carry out that procurement.

"It's a big job, but there's more than one cut through the season. That work is now under way."

The work will continue throughout the summer, the authority says.