Anger as path becomes an overgrown ‘disgrace’
8:30am Sunday 9th September 2012 in News
ANGRY residents in Blackrod have criticised the “disgraceful”
state of a popular roadside path — claiming parts of it have become inaccessible.
Jogger Alison Billington, aged 42, said she was so badly covered in nettle stings after running along the path next to the A6 Blackrod bypass that she has now had to change her route for the first time in six years.
Husband David Billington, aged 43, was left fuming after seeing his wife’s stings, and claims the area is overgrown and littered with rubbish.
The couple, of Tanner’s Brow, have lived in the area for 17 years and said they have never seen the path in its current state.
Alison said: “I’ve been running there for the past six years and this is the worst it’s been.
“Before I started jogging I used to push a double-width buggy along there and there was no problem.
“A lot of my friends walk along there and take prams down there.
“But after I came home covered in nettle stings David said ‘right that’s it’.”
Mr Billington said: “It’s in a disgraceful state. Is this where our hard-earned council tax goes?
“There is also an abundance of rubbish. I really do feel this stretch of road deserves better.”
A Bolton Council spokesman said cutting grass, which often required lane closures for health and safety reasons, was both costly to taxpayers and disruptive for motorists.
She said: “To minimise disruption, the council implements a planned programme of maintenance activities throughout the year based on previous years’ rates of grass growth by area.
“However, this year has seen one of the wettest summers on record with unpredictable grass and weed growth rates which have been significantly above what was expected.
“We will start grass cutting work on the Blackrod Bypass in the next couple of weeks, also we will be reviewing the frequency of operations for summer 2013.”
Comments(13)
atlas123
says...
11:58am Sat 8 Sep 12
sunfun
says...
8:45pm Sat 8 Sep 12
Reed Lover
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1:20pm Sun 9 Sep 12
Whatever happened to community spirit?
Pathetic!!
steveG
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2:54pm Sun 9 Sep 12
Reed Lover wrote:Wasn't community spirit outlawed by the last labour government?.
Why don't the locals sort it? Whatever happened to community spirit? Pathetic!!
I understood many people were stopped from cutting grass verges and such like because they weren't insured.
Perhaps this is another directive which should be abolished.
Reed Lover
says...
3:11pm Sun 9 Sep 12
steveG wrote:Don't know what you are talking about. If it's an H&S issue then that would be enforced regardless of who was in power.
Reed Lover wrote: Why don't the locals sort it? Whatever happened to community spirit? Pathetic!!Wasn't community spirit outlawed by the last labour government?. I understood many people were stopped from cutting grass verges and such like because they weren't insured. Perhaps this is another directive which should be abolished.
Either way, they should just do it but they won't. So they should stop moaning about it. Money is tight, some over-run path is hardly an emergency. Too many people believe that the Government or The Council should do everything for them.
NECEY
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11:52am Mon 10 Sep 12
Mulla89
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1:13pm Mon 10 Sep 12
Jenny_Taylia
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4:00pm Mon 10 Sep 12
Mulla89 wrote:Quality!!!!
If my wife came home after running and was covered in nettle stings I would laugh and say, don't run through nettles. Find a bloody Doc leaf and give it a rub.
Tiresius
says...
5:05pm Tue 11 Sep 12
sunfun wrote:Where does it say anything about a hedgerow in the article?
I know this stretch of road very well, as far as I can see the over grown hedge at the side of the road is obstructing the footpath, there fore any maintenance should be the responsibility of the landowner not (for once the council tax payers) however I don’t think that there is any legal requirements for them to trim this hedgerow. Nature should kick in over the next few weeks, and people well be complaining about the lack of gritting , and that the council has not cleared up the autumn leaves .
The issue is the grass verge between the path and the road which is about 18" high with grass and weed. Some of the locals have indeed cut the councils verge outside their own premises and surprise surprise .. no terrible H&S consequences!
The fact is that the Blackrod bypass is a main route into north Bolton from Lancashire...... and it is an overgrown unkempt tip which reflects the current state of Bolton... or at least the bits the 'council' is responsible for.
Any doubters need only cross the boundary into Lancashire and wonder why the same road between Adlington and Chorley is maintained in a good state.
As for the 'it's been a wet summer' nonsense from the council ...... the A6 is like this every year.
ablueroom
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9:42pm Tue 11 Sep 12
Tiresius wrote:Well said.
sunfun wrote:Where does it say anything about a hedgerow in the article?
I know this stretch of road very well, as far as I can see the over grown hedge at the side of the road is obstructing the footpath, there fore any maintenance should be the responsibility of the landowner not (for once the council tax payers) however I don’t think that there is any legal requirements for them to trim this hedgerow. Nature should kick in over the next few weeks, and people well be complaining about the lack of gritting , and that the council has not cleared up the autumn leaves .
The issue is the grass verge between the path and the road which is about 18" high with grass and weed. Some of the locals have indeed cut the councils verge outside their own premises and surprise surprise .. no terrible H&S consequences!
The fact is that the Blackrod bypass is a main route into north Bolton from Lancashire...... and it is an overgrown unkempt tip which reflects the current state of Bolton... or at least the bits the 'council' is responsible for.
Any doubters need only cross the boundary into Lancashire and wonder why the same road between Adlington and Chorley is maintained in a good state.
As for the 'it's been a wet summer' nonsense from the council ...... the A6 is like this every year.
macauley
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12:06pm Wed 12 Sep 12
jollybongo
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2:25pm Mon 24 Sep 12
Andyroost says...
10:19am Sat 8 Sep 12
Instead of sending council employees on secondment to stop them looseing their jobs when the cuts come, Give one of them the task of liasing with the community service team, No assistants required. and clean up the Bolton Borough !!!!!! FREE !!!!!!!!!!