Fenland District Council issues warning to its grass cutting contractors following storm of complaints

Earlier this week Fenland District Council was defending the firm it employs to cut grass across the area.

When approached for a comment about the barrage of complaints across social media sites about the poor state of the grass the council issued a comment pointing out Tivoli ISS was behind with cutting because it had its mowers stolen but was working to catch-up.

However, today (Thursday) the authority has admitted Tivoli was put on notice last month for its poor performance in maintaining the grassy areas in parks, public spaces and along the district’s verges.

In a statement the council explains: “In May, FDC issued formal rectifications notices to Tivoli to address areas of concern. Further rectification notices have been issued in June, and a cemetery inspection has been undertaken between the Tivoli contract manager and the FDC open spaces manager.

“This has identified ongoing concerns regarding the grass cutting rounds and the Tivoli contract manager is responding to those concerns.”

Explaining the delays to the cutting schedule the statement said: “Replacement equipment arrived several weeks after the theft, and an additional machine was also temporarily added to the contract to address the length of grass using a cut and collect technique.

“Having worked the past three weekends, including the bank holiday, the contractor is working to get on top of the problem and restore the original pattern of mowing rounds.

“Unfortunately where the longer grass does get cut, it will lay in situ giving the community an impression of a poor quality job.”

Among the areas identified on social media as being bad was the Robingoodfellows Lane play area in March. Here grass is knee-length and one woman who was in the park with her three children this week said: “The length of the grass makes it difficult for children to walk through, but it is more a worry about what it’s hiding: dog poo, glass, needles you just don’t know because the grass is so long you can’t see what you or the children are stepping on.”

Grass at the BMX track off North Drive also in March has been cut, but it is one of the area’s where the cuttings have been left leaving the area looking a mess.

However, there are also areas that have been clearly left uncut and where it has been cut it has been done badly.