A VILLAGER has criticised Surrey County Council for ignoring his pleas to trim a dangerously overgrown roadside hedge for more than six months.
Capel resident Norman Gilham says the hedge along a half-mile stretch of the A24 southbound from the Clark's Green roundabout had grown out of control in all directions, forcing pedestrians into the busy 50mph road.
Yet despite his first complaining to the council in February, nothing was done until this week, after the Advertiser contacted the authority.
He said: "This is a trunk road with 20,000 vehicle movements a day. That's a lot of heavy traffic.
"On February 10 this year I wrote to the cabinet member for highways about the hedge, saying it was very important it is kept to a maximum of 1m at all times for the safety of mothers and children on their way to the village school.
"The footpath is no more than 1m wide and that hedge grows to 4m during the year and the brambles, nettles and weeds overlap the path very dangerously."
Mr Gilham said he was particularly worried for the safety of people returning from an evening at the village pub.
He said: "If they come back a little bit groggy, one of these days one of them is going to trip on a bramble and finish up under a vehicle.
"It's ridiculous. The whole footpath is an obstruction to pedestrians. It's an absolutely outrageous situation down here. I've been scratched a number of times trying to move brambles.
"At one point there is a bend where you have to hold tight to yourself and listen out before you rush across the road in the hope nothing is coming. You get 40ft delivery lorries only a matter of two inches from your shoulder. It's terrifying.
"It really is a health hazard and nobody I have contacted will do anything about it. No-one will believe what I'm saying."
Council spokeswoman Joy Ridley said: "This particular hedge is owned by Mr Gilham's next-door neighbour and as such is his responsibility.
"We have taken the legal route to persuade this person to attend to the hedge, but if this does not happen within the stipulated timescale, we will carry out the work ourselves and claim the costs back from the landowner.
"We have visited the site and are confident that people can pass the hedge safely."
The hedge was finally cut back on Friday afternoon. Mr Gilham said he hoped the situation would improve in the future, adding: "This has been going on since 2000 – every year I have to go through this process with the council."
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