Talking with residents on both the Broadway Estate and Coppice Farm the topic of conversation turned to weeds in gutters and along pavements.

It all looks very hit and miss to us. Contractors are using a quad bike type of vehicle carries the weed killer and automatic spraying equipment. Some residents complained that the operator was travelling so fast the spray went everywhere but where it should have gone, missing weeds on the footpath and in gutters and killing flowers in front gardens. There was even a report of an unsuspecting cat got sprayed.

Looking round the New Invention and Short Heath area, whatever the council might say, current practice is not an improvement on the tried and tested manual system. The damage weeds left untreated do to our already dilapidated footpaths will result in higher costs not cost savings.

Ian will be asking Highways chiefs to review the effectiveness of the current weed killing process.