Brighton and Hove council gives residents tools to weed own pavements

EXCLUSIVE: Fury as Green-run Brighton council gives residents tools to weed their OWN overgrown pavements after banning herbicide and blaming city’s weed infestation on Brexit worker shortages

• The council says that most seasonal staff used to come from European countries
• In 2019 it banned the use of Glyphosate, an active ingredient in most weedkillers
• Last year several residents needed hospital treatment after tripping over weeds

A green-run council, which banned weedkiller, will give residents tools to weed their own overgrown pavements.

Brighton and Hove City Council claims a proliferation of weeds on pavements and grass verges is due to staff shortages caused by leaving the European Union.

The eco-conscious council says that most seasonal staff used to come from European countries for the summer and their ability to work in the UK has been hit.

But in 2019 the council banned the use of Glyphosate – an active ingredient in most weedkillers and herbicides.

As a result the city streets have been become overgrown and choked with weeds during the summer months.

Last year several elderly and disabled residents needed hospital treatment after tripping over weeds on the pavements.

Businesses have complained it is making the seaside resort look ‘scruffy’ and is bad for the city’s image.

A green-run council, which banned weedkiller, will give residents tools to weed their own overgrown pavements

Brighton and Hove City Council claims a proliferation of weeds on pavements and grass verges is due to staff shortages caused by leaving the European Union

Now the council has blamed Brexit and is planning to provide tools and advice for residents who want to weed their own roads and pavements.

Residents slammed the council’s Brexit excuse for failing to deal with the city’s weed problem.

One resident said: ‘That is a ridiculous excuse. Do they think we’re mad? To blame Brexit is just laughable when it’s quite clearly the decision not to use weedkiller.

‘The council is an absolute joke. Pavements and grass verges have been choked with weeds every year since they banned weedkiller. Leaving the European Union hasn’t made weeds more likely to grow.’

Another homeowner said: ‘The council has used all sorts of excuses from Covid to staff shortages but the reality of it is that if they were to reintroduce controlled use of some herbicides then we wouldn’t have this problem.

‘To ask residents to weed their own streets shows they have really lost the plot. What do we pay taxes for?’

The eco-conscious council says that most seasonal staff used to come from European countries for the summer and their ability to work in the UK has been hit

The council claim staff shortages due to Brexit meant it had only been able to recruit nine out 26 seasonal staff it would normally take on to deal with the increased weeds during the spring and summer months.

A council spokesperson said: ‘There are definitely more weeds on pavements than we’d like there to be at the moment.

‘The key problem we’re facing is difficulties recruiting enough staff to keep on top of these issues.

‘As many of our seasonal staff used to come from European countries for the summer, the ability of European nationals to work in the UK after Brexit, alongside the pandemic, is continuing to have an impact on our recruitment.

‘All our street cleaning staff who work on foot rounds are also weeding when they can.

But in 2019 the council banned the use of Glyphosate – an active ingredient in most weedkillers and herbicides

As a result the city streets have been become overgrown and choked with weeds during the summer months

Last year several elderly and disabled residents needed hospital treatment after tripping over weeds on the pavements

‘We are also having difficulty getting the equipment we would like to improve the efficiency of weed removal. We have equipment on order that was due to be with us weeks ago but has been delayed.’

Council bosses claim they ordered four strimmers weeks ago but delays mean they won’t arrive until the end of June.

There have also been delays in the arrival of a small vehicle that can remove pavement weeds and which is now due to arrive in August.

The council said as well as ‘looking at a range of options to improve our chances of recruitment’ they were going to ask voluntary and community groups to chip in and help.

A spokesman said: ‘We will provide advice, tools and support. We would like to assure residents that we are doing all we can to try to get back on top of the issue and will continue to push hard on it.’

According to figures from the campaign group Pesticide Action Network last year, 80 councils have banned or restricted the use of glyphosate pesticides. 

At least 30 of these councils – many run by Left-wing administrations – have banned glyphosate pesticides altogether or decided to phase them out.

These include the London boroughs of Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Lambeth, plus Bristol, Lewes and Glastonbury. 

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