Overgrown hedges in west Mayo raised with council

HEDGING is a big problem for Kilmeena Councillor Johnny O'Malley these days.

He listed out a number of areas in west Mayo where there is disruption due to overgrown hedges, with issues such as broken mirrors on buses and trucks.

Speaking at a municipal meeting, he said people ask him what are they getting for their local property tax and all he can say is 'you are getting nothing', other than a few potholes filled.

Trees on roadsides are another disaster, said his colleague Councillor Chris Maxwell. They had submitted lists for a scheme to cut back trees to hedgerow level and he asked for an update on timelines for that work.

More hedge-cutting was also needed, he agreed, with some roads near impassable. And he asked if they could get more funding to continue the job up to Christmas.

Councillor Sean Carey agreed dangerous trees they had identified should be removed in advance of future storms, which are getting worse, saying there is a safety concern.

On hedge-cutting, members were told priority is given to A to B sites, not cul-de-sacs, many of which carry a lot less traffic. The members set the budget and more cutting would require more funding.

There are limited resources and the district is coming to the end of its allocation, but the work will keep going until it is expired.

On trees along roads, the point was made that if the trees are on private property they are the responsibility of the land owner to take down.

(Funded under the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme)