The standards of the completed work shows a lack of knowledge of Highway Law, and of using tools. Minimal effort is applied, with no interest in complying with the law and keeping the paths wide open.

Misleading the public 

When the contractor was changed, things were being left for too long because certain councillors begrudged paying for the grass and vegetation to be cut as per the frequency of the original contract. 

As a part of misleading the public and other councillors - when correspondence was submitted to Chickerell Town Council about the length of the grass on Willowbed and other vegetation issues - the Town Council stated in the Contact magazine that they had received numerous reports of how good Willowbed looked.

The following is Dorset Council's guide to keeping highways and street lighting clear of vegetation. Something that even Dorset Council's own staff struggle to follow on their own verges.

Because of all the weeds along roadside kerbs, pavement egdes and across dropdown kerbs - I submitted a complaint to the Chief Executive of Dorset Council in 2023. The main part of the complaint was the incompetent management, and their failure to train staff, or check on what work has been done. The lack of training is why so many roads and pavements have branches across them or hanging down over them.

You may have noticed that during 2023, a couple of staff from Dorset Council have been around Chickerell village, removing weeds and even cutting branches back.

Part of my complaint was that Dorset Council Highway inspectors are sending Dorset Council staff to cut vegetation back at the publics' expense, rather then risk getting into a confrontational situation with a land owner. Highway's refusal to ask landowners to cut their vegetation back extends to their unwillingness to even write to Chickerell Town Council.

You may have noticed the Dorset Council staff cutting branches on the areas that Chickerell T.C. is responsible for, because Chickerell T.C. have failed to maintain their own areas.

This is the invite for tender by Chickerell Town Council, for areas that they maintained during 2012 to 2015.

Click this line to view the full 2012 to 2015 contract invite

Since then, there has been a reluctance by a small group of councillors to help keep the parish looking nice. The reluctance to spend a small amount of money, to keep precepts as small as possible is counter productive - and petty minded.

One of the councillors, Mike Jolliffe, (who's now finally stood down) who has been Mayor a number of times, is adamant that there is absolutely no litter in Chickerell, and there is no need for the council to support the yearly spring clean.

A number of organisations litter pick Putton Lane every year, it being a busy "School route". However, a number of volunteers also go out individually and clear parts of the parish as they become "messy".

The Parish's Chickerell Litter Prevention and Cure Team organise a yearly Spring clean, mainly to target the hawthorn hedges and brambles that "capture" so much wind blown litter.

By arrangement with Dorset Waste Partnership, the collected sacks are left by litter bins around the parish. Dorset Waste Partnership then come and collect the bagged waste.

The Litter pickers are collecting some 30 sacks of litter at every Spring clean, not including all the glass alcohol bottles that are found.

Letter to Chickerell Town council, dated 23rd May 2023

Dear Mayor ... and Councillors of Chickerell Town Council

Declining standards of communal areas maintained by Chickerell Council

It has been noted that the level of maintenance since the new contractor/employee took over is significantly lower than that provided by the previous contractor – with the blue Land Rover. It would also appear that the areas and standards are not being checked.

The area on Chickerell Road, opposite East Street, and known to me as Bake House Corner has not been touched since the new person started. There was a time when people could sit on this bench, but now the bench is lost in long grass and low branches. It is noted that someone has this week strimmed around the road sign, but the bench cannot be seen, and branches interfere with sitting on the bench (if it could be seen) and the public footway pavement. I had to move the vegetation to reveal the bench.

I have for the last couple of years wondered as to why Chickerell Town Council were failing to maintain the areas, including around the tree lined flood pond on Putton Lane opposite Browns Crescent. I thought that a resident was occasionally snapping the very end of low branches off, where an employee would cut the branches back to the correct minimum height. And was at a loss as to why someone was cutting the weeds vertically like a hedge, instead of strimming them back to cut the tall weeds back to the bank.

When looking at Public Highways, the Parliamentary Highways Act of 1980 is very clear on the maintenance of side and overhanging vegetation on Public highways. It states that the highway (PROW footpath, Footway, Carriageway, etc) should be clear of side and overhanging vegetation at all times. That means it has to be cut back enough that any growth will not reduce the width of the highway before the next scheduled cut. 

You will be aware that Footway pavements and other pedestrian paths are usually a minimum of 1.5 metres. This is so that two people can pass each other without the need for one to step in the road, and allow an adult to walk by a child. They can’t do that when side and overhanging vegetation is obstructing the path.

On Monday 15th May 2023 it became fully clear to me as to why we’ve been seeing this poor standard of maintenance. 

On Monday I witnessed a gentleman leaning against the wall by the garden gate of 10 Putton Lane, whilst sorting out his boots and petrol strimmer. He then walked directly across the road, along the new Putton Lane Footway pavement by the pond area, and entered the pedestrian path towards Pugmill Lane. He then made his first cut around a fence post after the litter bin. This is after walking past all the long weeds that are overhanging the Putton Lane pavement, and all the long grass where the vehicle gateway was to this small grass paddock.

A while later it was noted that he had strimmed patches of the smallest amount of surface grass along the edge of the pavement of Putton Lane, and rough cut the grass across the former vehicle entrance and up to the pedestrian path entrance. No attempt had been made to cut the side or overhanging vegetation.

When I spoke to him, he was strimming the tall weeds on the Dorset Council verge side of the entrance to the Footpath 27 toward The Bindells. I asked him to strim the bank, to remove the issue of tall weeds falling across the Footway pavement.

The chap then got into an unnecessary discussion about how he has 15 areas to maintain, and doesn’t have time to do too much. I was a bit confused by this because we have seen so many hundreds of dwellings and new businesses in the area over the last couple of years, that precepts should be covering this to a decent standard, and at least to the standard that the last contractor was maintaining it to.

I again asked him to strim the bank, to remove the tall weeds that keep falling across the pavement, and was told that as he can see most of the path surface then that is good enough. I pointed out that by law, the highway is to be kept clear at all times for its full height and width. The response was that they only have to keep the “road” clear to 3 feet.

For clarity, the 3 feet recommendation is a horizontal measurement, and not 3 feet of any degree up to 90 degrees. The recommendation of 3 feet is so that any verge vegetation will not interfere with the highway Footway, Carriageway, etc before the next planned cut, and stops trees from self-setting on the verge. So he clearly doesn’t understand that the Footway is a public highway, hence why the tall weeds should be strimmed to ground level.

I pointed out that as well as the regular issue of low overhead hanging branches, that there is an area of bramble that is now unsupported due to bush dieback, and the bramble is falling across the footway at around 5 feet above ground level. His excuse for not cutting this hedge and bramble back is because, and I quote “It’s always been that way.” This again shows the lack of knowledge and training that this person has.

The chap was again asked to fully strim the bank of Putton Lane to stop the tall weeds from falling across the path. Again he claimed that he didn’t have time, and was asked as to why he was strimming the edges of Dorset Council’s highway area whilst refusing to strim what he had already walked past with his strimmer.

At that point I left.

As I left I heard he spend some time strimming. I note now that he has again tried to cut the tall weeds like a hedge instead of just strimming to the ground and strimming up the bank to remove the tall weeds. I am unsure if he refuses to clear the bank because he will have more to clear up, or just a lack of instruction.

These images might look like the footway is clear, but you can’t walk along here by the side of someone, and the branches are less than 6 feet above the path in places.

It is clear that the chap wasted time on Monday trying to cut the weeds along Putton Lane vertically like a hedge with his strimmer, cutting individual branches off instead of just cutting the weeds down. The weeds are already leaning across the footway

Below is an image from 2009, when the paddock area was useable. A lot of this is now lost to bramble and willow tree branches.

Whilst the last chap was using a mower to cut larger grass areas to a standard so that they can be enjoyed, this chap is just rough cutting them with a strimmer.

It’s also clear that minimal effort is being put in to clearing up after his work. There is no attempt to use a leaf blower to remove cuttings from any path. The path alongside Chickerell school was covered in strimmer cuttings where he had cut along the edge of the path. The bank of this hedge still has numerous tall weeds and other growing and leaning across the path - reducing the width of the path – where he’s cutting branches off weeds instead of felling them.

I’m aware that the last contractor used to cut and collect the grass on Willowbed, and dispose of it in the trees in front of Willowbed Hall. I’m at a loss as to why the new regime is to just cut and leave the cuttings on the ground. You’ll be aware that leaving grass cuttings on the ground is detrimental to grass areas, and ends up encouraging more weeds than grass.

Around Willowbed, there are numerous places where side and overhanging vegetation is not only interfering with and consuming the public highway, but also restricting the entrances to Willowbed from The Hythe and Grebe Close.

The path from Willowbed Hall car park up towards Chickerell School is not only reduced by side vegetation, but the width of the tarmac path is also half lost to soil and decayed leaf litter. Very difficult for parents to walk their small children up this path without one of them getting muddy shoes.

The pavement around the Football field on Putton Lane and East Street is also reduced due to side vegetation and soil / decaying leaflitter on the pavement. This results in people having to walk in the road when passing others.

Streetlighting

It is noted that numerous places have tree branches surrounding street lights, and that the lamps are unable to illuminate along the path or in front of the lamp itself. The bus shelter at Willowbed Hall is in complete darkness at night because leaf laden Chestnut branches are completely obscuring the light from illuminating anything. All of the Willowbed trees are overhanging the Glennie Way/Putton Lane carriageway to below the minimum height, and pedestrians are having to duck to walk along the footway.

It is noted that the Aco type drain across the entrance to Willowbed car park has had a cover off since last year, laying on an angle in the drain itself. This of course creates a trip hazard for the public. I would suggest that as a part of the yearly schedule, that clearing the whole width of this gully and connecting pipe is an item on the list of yearly things to be done. I acknowledge that the drain was cleared of tarmac chippings last year, but the joining pipe from the gully down to the new drainage pipe under the pavement was never cleared – resulting in water still flowing onto the highway and increasing that puddle on Putton Lane.

So
It would be appreciated if Chickerell Town Council could review the current standard of maintenance and staff training, clear the soil etc from the tarmac surfaces of all paths, get the hedges and trees cut back to keep the highways clear, and take a bit more pride in the town.

Attached is Dorset Council’s leaflet on Side and overhanging vegetation, for you to pass on to staff and inspecting councillors.

I for one am tired at constantly having to duck, or step off the pavement due to overhanging and side vegetation around land maintained by Chickerell Town Council. No consideration is being given to anyone with any eye or vision disability, who would suddenly be struck on the head or face.

Yours

The full minutes can be seen on the Town Council website.

Dorset Council were seen cutting the trees on the corner of willowbed, at the county tax payers expense. This is where the path from Glebe Close joins Glennie Way. They also half heartedly cut the low Chestnut tree branches over the Glennie Way pavement. This was after reporting the issue to Dorset Council Highways, and not by any action by Chickerell Town Council.