[escapedtothecountry]

I was sent an email from the Parish Council which has gone out to their email list on the subject of grass verges.


Apparently the Highways Department has written to someone essentially telling them to move the white stones they have put on the grass verge to try to protect it as it is a contravention on the Highways Act etc etc etc.


Now I have no doubt they are right. I have no doubt that it COULD lead to litigation if someone ran into them. BUT what annoys me most (I just can't help it) is why they go after people trying t protect what is good. Its why I got involved in politics for my sins.


So, whilst I am sure it will cause me more grief than it is worth I have just drafted an email to the local Highways Department. I point out that I accept doing such a thing on grass verges is probably wrong - but then could they answer a few questions for me....


...Given they have a statutory obligation to look after grass verges including cutting them could they send me their schedule for my street as Ive never had it cut in 2 years of owning the property.


Could they comment on the various elements of fly tipping (I included photographs) on grass verges and what will they be doing about it?


Given last year I put down a tonne of topsoil to maintain the verge outside my property could they advise who I should could when it gets in a state of disrepair this Winter?


Could they advise what the purpose of this speed limit sign is 2 feed directly behind a telegraph pole is, and what measures will they be taking to rectify such a misplaced sign.


If they are going to go after people doing their best to do the right thing, I just think maybe they should start doing their job a bit better too!

[Rosemary]

  Just laughing at the sign. I agree with the jist of what you're saying thoug

[Sbom]

Love it!

[escapedtothecountry]

It's the usual case of let's go after the low hanging fruit? It's easy to tell off people who put things on the grass verge where in the true sense of the law they shouldn't. Not so easyntomstop,fly tippers and fill the millions of pot holes in rural areas.


If local authorities showed a tad of common sense people wouldn't get so cynical.

[Lesley Silvester]

I once  had the council after me for parking my trailer on the grass verge 'thereby damaging street furniture'. I had chained it to the street sign.


Good for you, ETTC. Love the speed limit sign. It might be worth checking the plans for that. It's probably illegal or the telegraph pole is. I was once told by a teacher of law that most road signs are not exactly where they should be according to the plans and if you are caught going through a red light, you should check. Apparently, if the lights are not exactly where the plans state they should be, they are not legal and you shouldn't be charged.

[Sbom]

A friend of mine had a local councillor living near his land, she used to dump soil and general garden rubbish on the track to his field....anyway he got sick of it so rung her up and said he knew of a case of fly tipping and could he report it, she was delighted right up until he explained where........

[happygolucky]

  , a case of jobs worth I suspect...I used to drive aVW and never went above 50 at top speed and one day got a fine due to a sign, similar, in a village at the end of a long straight 60mph stretch but a 30 sign with a camera in front, as I had just bought some delicate plants and as I breaked they slid to the front, I slowed down slowly so got a speeding ticket, some time later that same camera got blown up as it caught so many people out.....

[lachlanandmarcus]

It's the usual case of let's go after the low hanging fruit? It's easy to tell off people who put things on the grass verge where in the true sense of the law they shouldn't. Not so easyntomstop,fly tippers and fill the millions of pot holes in rural areas.


If local authorities showed a tad of common sense people wouldn't get so cynical.

I agree, and people would be more happy with the stringent application of the law if it didn't seem to be just the easy targets who are pursued, rather than much more serious stuff being put down as too difficult to pursue.

[ellied]

I assume their reasoning would be about grasscutting contractor suing them for damage to his equipment when he is only paid to go in so infrequently due to budget cuts that he might not see even white stones in the overlong grass   Tho since your street hasn't been done in 2 years it may be that the roadsign is so close to a telepole so they don't hit that with the cutter because the verge has overgrown it by then too

I have a narrow strip of hard standing outside my garden wall which isn't wide enough to be a layby but which folk consistently use to take phone calls, sit and row with their passengers over maps and directions, and even put their little boys out to pee against my wall which I find particularly obnoxious     It is also unsettling as a car pulls up and I think for some ridiculous reason that it may be a visitor or someone wanting to speak to me for directions or something, so I am distracted even if I don't go and see.  If I do, the folk often glare at me as if I'm interrupting their day rather than the other way around, I've had a few hand signals to that effect and a few that have taken off at speed which might indicate embarrassment of someone canvassing my home for burglary.

I wanted to put topsoil and grass like my neighbour has, but I do find it a useful delivery point and for me to put the car while I close the gate so the hens stay put, tho only one has ever wandered out (twice - and once was despite the closed gate).  So I have put my set of 4 wheely bins there to indicate that it isn't a parking spot, tho you'd think the solid white line, the lack of signage and the narrowness for anything bigger than a bicycle would be clues..  And the other side when the outer wall collapsed due to HGV speed over the 30 odd years it's been there, I left it despite offers to charge me to clear up my space and make it look nice for passing drivers again!  The rubble will go in a wall foundation when and if I get to the point of redoing it all, and meantime at least it's potentially setting up viability for my gate and wall relocation/rebuild plan I hope..