Concerns have been raised over the number of scruffy and overgrown hedges lining the roads of a West Lothian town - with one councillor suggesting it is a sign of “society de-evolving.”
The problem, in Bathgate, has become worse during the Covid pandemic, due to cutbacks to save money in successive council budget and pandemic staffing problems.
READ MORE: West Lothian police hand out £100 fines for High Street parking
And some pavements are now difficult to walk down as hedgerows splay over the footpath.
Councillor Willie Boyle raised the issue when cleaner communities manager David Lees spoke to the town’s local area committee.
And fellow councillors Charles Kennedy and committee chair Harry Cartmill also raised questions about out of control gardens, trees and hedges.
Councillor Cartmill criticised households who made no effort to maintain gardens, branding it another sign of “society de-evolving.”
Councillor Boyle said: “The avenue of trees and hedges as you come from Boghall always used to look beautiful but, because of the pandemic, it looked really disheartening with overgrown grass and hedges totally out of control. I would hate to have that impression of Bathgate again.”
He added: “It’s like nobody’s enforcing it so we’ll just turn a blind eye, right through to the other side of the town.”
Mr Lees said that since a decision was made by the council on budget savings a few years ago hedges are now only cut once a year. Privately owned hedges are cut back by the roads department if they overhang footpaths.
Councillor Kennedy said that the same process of starting enforcement on overgrown hedges had to be gone through for several areas in the town every year.
“It’s an annual problem. Is there not something we could do to avoid going through the same enforcement process every year in these areas where there is a repeated problem?”
Councillor Cartmilll said some private homeowners, especially formerly council homes on otherwise well maintained estates, allowed their gardens to become overgrown and scruffy, to the detriment of neighbours who maintained their own gardens.
Mr Lees said the council could do nothing to compel private homes to keep gardens tidy.
