Retired Graham Petts (68), of West Elloe Avenue, who regularly litter picks the length of his road to keep it looking nice, said: “Spalding is going to turn into a weed-infested wilderness if they don’t cut the grass this year.
“Thousands of dandelions are going to seed and the whole lot will be weeds instead of grass.
“I feel quite aggrieved about it. It’s just spoiling the whole look of the town.
“I cut in front of my house and several other people have been doing the same but there are a number of bits not in front of houses or where people won’t.
“It’s all to do with quality of life. West Elloe, for instance, is one of the main thoroughfares into town and scruffy grass verges just detract from it. The trees take a lot of maintaining too, what will be next? Will they chop them down?”
In rural areas, two summer safety cuts of verges are to continue to a width of one metre either side of the road and footpath. And at junctions and some bends, verges will be cut to the highway boundary to improve visibility. The first cut will be either this month or next.
Reduction in tree maintenance has also been agreed to save £38,000.
A highways spokesperson said: “The council can no longer afford to do everything it’s done in the past.
“As a result, we will now only be funding two cuts a year at locations where overgrown grass could cause safety issues. In addition, we’ll be carrying out weed control once a year.
“We believe this new approach strikes the right balance – it keeps our roads safe, while ensuring the service remains affordable.
“In some areas, the work will be taken on by the district or parish council, who may also carry out additional cuts at their own expense.
“This will save the council £750,000 annually, helping protect other vital areas like the pothole budget.”
It had initially been hoped to save £850,000 a year.
