Overgrown bushes stop pensioners from venturing out
Disabled woman says cul-de-sac is forgotten
A disabled woman is calling for action over overgrown foliage, which she claims is keeping some of her neighbours prisoners in their own homes.
Sheila Lavender says it has been several years since anything was done about overhanging bushes and weeds and moss sprouting in the footpath where she lives in Brogden Crescent, Leeds.
The majority of homes in the cul-de-sac are bungalows for the elderly and disabled. The 64-yearold widow is still recovering after slipping over on wet moss there several weeks ago, which caused bruising on her arm, while one 83-year-old friend won’t leave her home because of the treacherous route.
Mrs Lavender, who suffers from emphysema and rheumatoid arthritis, said: “A lot of us are quite doddery on our feet so it’s dangerous. The moss gets very slippery and if you can’t walk on the pavement you have to go out into the road.
“It is just disgusting it’s been left to get like this.
“Because we are not on a main road we just seem to get forgotten.
“Apart from cutting the grass I haven’t seen any work being done here for about five years. My friend won’t even leave the house for a walk to blow the cobwebs away.”
Mrs Lavender says she and her neighbours have complained about the undergrowth to Kent County Council, Maidstone Borough Council and Golding Homes, but were still in the dark over whose responsibility it was to cut it.
She said: “I don’t know if it’s because of cost- saving, but nobody wants to know. We just keep getting passed around.”
Maidstone Borough Council has since confirmed it owns the hedge. A spokesman said: “The hedge is scheduled to be cut once a year. Our records show that most the recent cut was in September last year so it is due for another one and we hope to complete this as soon as possible.”