Residents have called for action on overgrown weeds and bushes they claim have turned their neighbourhood into a “forgotten estate”.
Elderly people living in Finchfield, Parnwell, Peterborough, want to see the outskirts of their estate given the same care and maintenance as “pristine” city centre areas.
Dorothy Haynes (71) and her husband Albert (73), of 88 Finchfield, say the entrance to their estate off Parnwell Way has been in an overgrown state for well over six months.
Mrs Haynes said: “The grass verges haven’t been cut and it hasn’t been weeded. It looks a mess all of the time.
“It’s not just near Finchfield either, the whole of Parnwell Way is bad. When the residents here drive into the city centre it looks pristine everywhere, but every time we drive in and out of our estate it looks absolutely disgusting.”
She said the weeds have also taken over and killed freshly laid plants and flowers at nearby Eye Roundabout.
“It doesn’t just look bad, it’s also wasting public money as it’s public money that was spent on doing the roundabout up.”
Mrs Haynes, who runs a local friendship club, said many of the Finchfield residents are fed-up with the problem.
She said: “They want to get out there and clear it up themselves but they are elderly and can’t. They are aggreived as they pay their tax like everyone else but the only thing we get for it is our bins emptied. We feel like we’re living on a forgotten estate.”
She has complained to front-line service provider Enterprise Peterborough and even took the issue up with Peterborough City Council leader Marco Cereste, who said maintenance hadn’t been carried out due to the wet weather.
But Mrs Haynes said it still wasn’t carried out during the dry, warm spell, and added that the last time any work was done was in March.
She said: “Workmen came out in March but they didn’t do the job properly and didn’t resolve the problem. They just left the hedgerows with clumps missing out of them.”
Judith Neal, community engagement officer for Enterprise Peterborough, said: “With the recent wet weather weed growth has become very vigorous everywhere.
“The weeds will be dealt with in due course, however if there is a safety issue, it will be made a priority and immediate action will be taken. A member of the Streetscene team will inspect the area at Parnwell shortly and take action if required.”
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