Felpham protest over untidy grass

The parish council members agreed on Tuesday (July 3) to write to West Sussex County Council to complain about the length of the grass after it has been cut and the mass of cuttings blocking drains.

They have been told by the county council the cut grass should be no higher than 40mm.

But they complained the length of the grass before the latest cut in the past week meant it was impossible for the work to be carried out properly.

Cllr Terry Phillips said: “There is so much grass rubbish left I don’t know how they can see what they are cutting.

“There were piles of long grass and it was covering everything they were cutting.

“It is very unsatisfactory for anyone coming into Bognor Regis or Felpham and seeing this mess all over the roads. It’s the way it has been cut.”

The county council pays for seven cuts a year. This frequency was slashed from 11 annual cuts to save money.

Before that timetable started, the parish council used to pay for four cuts on top of the county council’s seven.

Cllr Geoff Farrell said the sight of lengthy unkempt grass was an everyday sign of austerity:

“I accept it’s difficult to cut grass uniformly throughout Felpham so it’s no more than 40mm. But the contractors have a contract with the county council to do that.”