East Sussex motorists struggling to see junctions due to overgrown grass verges

One local took to Facebook to criticise the policy, claiming that verges in the town were ‘messy and full of weeds’, which made junctions unclear and difficult to navigate.

The Facebook user posted: “I personally dislike the ‘No Mow May’ (and longer) as seen by our grass verges in Lewes.

"Before the lockdown verges were cut several times a year, and junctions were clear. Now it is a single cut, and some junctions are a night mare. The ‘green’ brigade talks about bio-diversity, pollinators and saving the world. The council agrees because it saves money. What we end up with are very messy verges, full of weeds and long grass. It is rare to see many pollinators as the few flowing plants are swamped by grass (that does not require pollinators) and other weeds. Natural growth, even with a few extra plants, in my opinion does not provide much.

"It’s now July and the verges are still a mess and some of the junctions are dangerous. I am sorry to say that No Mow May is being used as an excuse by the council to save money. What is the excuse for the potholes?”

In 2019, Lewes District Council declared a climate emergency and committed to achieving carbon net zero by 2030. This included projects to increase the number of ecological habitats through better mowing regimes.

International conservation charity Plantlife say a healthy lawn with long grass and wildflowers benefits wildlife, tackles pollution and can even lock away carbon below ground, leading to the district council to adopt the policy.

Plantlife originally called for people across the UK to not mow their grass gardens throughout the month of May, but the council have gone one step further and decided to not trim any public grass areas throughout the whole summer.

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A spokesperson for the council said: "The natural world is facing threats on an unprecedented scale with the loss and disappearance of habitats and species.

"Our biodiversity work has been praised by many residents who welcome the wider benefits of creating wildlife havens and increasing opportunities for pollination.

"These areas have attracted a wide range of pollinators and the longer grass growing there now provides an important habitat for creatures such as beetles and lizards.”

A number of people in Lewes have not taken kindly to this policy, with one person commenting on the Facebook post: "I think, as an experiment it has gone badly wrong and is clearly not working. The longer we leave these areas to ‘nature’, the harder it will be to return them to how they always used to be - when, incidentally I used to see more pollinators than at present.”

Another added: “I'm a fan of stuff growing but I think there's a place for it. At the minute they're not mowing anywhere and it's making navigating some paths(especially with prams or wheelchairs) pretty difficult. Walking dogs in some areas now is difficult too. I think they just need to be smarter in *where* they let it grow and where they mow.”

One local backed the council’s biodiversity plan, writing on Facebook: “No Mow May" is based on thirty years of accumulated wisdom from bodies such as Plantlife UK, the Wildlife Trusts, Natural England and National Trust. Local management solutions are obviously needed but if this policy is to change it should be because of new scientific evidence. I don't think divisive labels like the "green brigade" helps us move forward.”