County Council Neglect Estate

4.18.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 7th Jul 2010

Community Worker Andi Clark Inspects Heavily Weeded Pedestrian Areas

During one of their regular walks around the Hobart Road, Melbourne Road, Darwin Close and Boston Close area of Heath Hayes local Liberal Democrat Community Workers Andi Clark and Councillor Chris Collis, were very concerned to see the disgraceful state of the footpaths and pedestrian areas that run to the front of the properties along these roads.

Heavily Weeded Pavements Pose Trip Hazard

Large areas of the estate's paved walk ways and surface rainwater gutters are heavily covered in weeds and grass which is making the whole estate look untidy and neglected, but more worryingly both Chris and Andi believe that the lack of maintenance is potentially placing residents at risk of tripping or slipping on the unkempt surfaces, especially the elderly, the visually impaired or those with mobility problems.

However, as you will have seen from previous editions of Talkback and press coverage in the local papers Andi and Chris are never slow in reacting to resolve such problems on behalf of residents, and true to form have already approached Staffordshire County Council's Highways Authority to undertake the necessary work to clear the pavements and walkways of weeds and, once returned to an acceptable condition, continue to maintain them on a regular basis as they should have been doing in the first place.

Andi Clark said, "There have been problems with the poor maintenance of these footpaths and paved areas in the past which my colleague Councillor Chris Collis as successfully dealt with, but I have never seen it as bad as this. It appears to me that the County Council have turned their backs on the estate, these areas should have been sprayed last summer and again in early spring this year to help keep any weed or grass invasion to a minimum.

"We have been in contact with the County Council to advise them of the poor state of the pedestrian areas throughout the Hobart, Melbourne, Darwin and Boston Close areas, and have requested them to undertake work to resolve this potentially dangerous problem without delay. We will of course be keeping a close watch on this issue and won't stop pressing the County Council to act, until the matter is drawn to a satisfactory conclusion for all concerned."