Some footpaths have not been cleared ‘for years’
ASHBOURNE’S Town Team has called for urgent work to be carried out on busy footpaths running along Derby Road, which they say have not been cleared of debris for years.
Overgrown hedges and narrowed pavements are making it a challenge for the dozens of people that walk up and down Derby Hill every day, the group has said, and they are piling pressure on the council to take action.
The team says that, once the pavement has been restored to its original width, they have volunteers ready to keep them maintained by monitoring vegetation growth and clearing litter - but major work needs to be carried out before they can step in.
A town team spokesman said: “The pavements on Derby Road haven’t been cleared of debris for many years, nor are the hedges being cut back, with the result that large sections of the pavement on this busy and dangerous road are now virtually impassable for pedestrians.
“Earlier this week we sent a detailed report to the councils and also to our MP and are hoping that it will produce some action.”
Derbyshire Dales District Council oversees the clearing of pavements in the town, working on behalf of Derbyshire County Council, which has an overall responsibility for highways.
A district council spokesman told the News Telegraph: “While it is correct that the district council is contracted to clear loose debris on this pathway on an agency basis for the county council, it is simplistic to characterise this as an issue that only local authorities can resolve.
“The biggest obstacles we have faced when attempting to clear this particular pathway are overhanging and overgrown hedges that are the responsibility of private landowners.
“The good news is that the private landowners in question have been contacted and we are grateful to them for their positive response in most cases, resulting in some of the overgrown hedges being cut back.
“Unfortunately, where hedges have been left too long, it may be necessary for the county council to re-establish some sections of the pathway by digging them out.
“We are currently sweeping by hand around six times a year as it has been impossible, due to overgrown sections, to use a mechanical sweeper.”