Paying the cost of neglecting hedgerows

The recent wet weather seems to have reestablished the natural water table in the Walthams after three or four years of dry weather.

To my mind we are now having another unintended consequences of the council’s

‘bio diversity’ policy of not maintaining verges and hedgerows outside of the Maidenhead metropolis – ditches overflowing and flooding.

I have been a complainer (or campaigner) of maintaining the hedgerows and verges in the parishes not only for safety reasons such as sight lines at junctions and enabling walkers to use the verges to avoid passing traffic and the pelotons of cyclists, but also for the basic appearance in the parishes to discourage discarding rubbish by passers-by.

Overseas visitors come here and, by God, if they venture outside the Windsor area they must think ‘what a dump’.

Now the water table is re-established we are experiencing the lack of drainage along the roadsides.

Ditches are simply becoming reclaimed by nature and not allowing drainage of the land.

Most responsible house and landowners will maintain the ditches, but if they are blocked downstream, it results in a back-up of water which then floods the low lying area including lanes.

The council could not care less and ditches are completely ignored and I have not seen any evidence of council involvement to clear them.

They are now overgrown and infilled with brambles etc., and become places to throw rubbish.

I foresee a time in 3020 when the Time Team (in 5D virtual reality) excavate this area and ponder why us locals buried plastic cones, aluminium cans inscribed with American slogans (did they discover Europe?), plastic bags, and who was King McDonald? Plus other detritus in straight lines along ancient pathways.

Have they discovered the Woke Leylines? Bad drainage is now the unintended consequence of the bizarre bio-diversity attitude of the council where there is difference between the town and the country.

Look over the hedge guys and that’s where the diversity is, not between the hedge and the road.

Landowners take countryside maintenance seriously – it’s their livelihood, but the council doesn’t. Just lip service.

They neglect the parishes where we live by not doing maintenance yet career headlong in to very expensive schemes to ruin the attractiveness of the town.

And don’t get me started about the state of the roads, especially Callans Lane where one daren’t go off the paved way since the increased traffic has devastated the edges and resulted in 6” potholes, surely a case to make it one way from Shurlock Row to Beenhams Heath.

But, what the heck, the council have saved money so ‘pats on the back all round, chaps and let’s have another gin & tonic ...’

RALPH JONES Beenhams Heath

Shurlock Row