Months of bad weather hitting outdoor workers and sectors very hard
A LOCAL landscaping specialist has spoken out about the ongoing extended period of bad weather, and how it is negatively impacting on their sector.
While Agriculture Departments on both sides of the Border have been discussing the severe impact on farmers that months of sustained rain have wrought, Tom Campbell, of Acorn Landscaping, has raised how gardeners and landscapers are also being severely affected.
Speaking to The Impartial Reporter, Mr. Campbell discussed how the Fivemiletown business has faced some common difficulties currently faced by his industry.
He said: “Our job is entirely outdoors, so we are outside working, 16 hours every day, six days a week.
“Continuous rain like we’ve seen since last July has meant customers don’t get out on the patio or garden, and therefore don’t feel the need to get a new patio or lawn, or have any form of landscaping work done.
“Most days we’re soaked through by evening time, and this is tough on staff.”
He continued: “With the rain, diggers slip and slide, which is dangerous, and we’ve recently had a digger track come off and subsequently destroyed.
“The price of the track and lost time meant we were out £500 that day alone due to the weather.
“It’s got so bad that some staff are considering giving up our line of work. We’ve estimated that poor weather has cost us £185k per year,” added Mr. Campbell.
Difficulties
While media reports have highlighted high-level discussions on difficulties faced by farmers after months of poor weather, gardeners, landscapers and other such outdoor workers and builders have not seen a similar level of coverage.
Mr. Campbell continued: “I’ve been building and landscaping for a lifetime, and we’ve never received any compensation for the terrible weather, from either Stormont or Westminster. Seems we’re not worth anything.”