Councillor calls for action to tackle weeds growing across Wigan

A councillor is calling for town hall bosses to do more to tackle weeds across the borough.
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Bryn representative Steve Jones is so fed up of seeing nuisance plants growing through the cracks in pavements that he has taken action himself.

He sprayed non-toxic vinegar and salt on the weeds around Nicol Mere in a bid to kill them.

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Coun Jones said: “All the sidewalks, all the estates, all the streets haven’t been weeded at all. There are places where there are big nettles growing.

Coun Steve Jones surveys the weeds on Grange Road, BrynCoun Steve Jones surveys the weeds on Grange Road, Bryn
Coun Steve Jones surveys the weeds on Grange Road, Bryn

"I looked into it legally, because you have to have a licence to spray pesticides.

"I have ordered a load of apple cider vinegar and rubbing alcohol because that’s legal, so I can spray them myself.”

Coun Jones said there are problematic plants growing across the borough, not just in Bryn, and he believes weeding is one of the key jobs residents expect from councils.

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Weeds growing on Grange Road, BrynWeeds growing on Grange Road, Bryn
Weeds growing on Grange Road, Bryn
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While he is aware of funding cuts and other financial pressures facing Wigan Council, he says the work still needs to be done.

He has urged councillors to provide more funding for council workers for weeding.

Coun Jones said: “I know that the council officers who oversee this are fantastic officers and are working really hard. It’s the councillors that need to change the policy to get more funding and more support.”

Dave Lyon, the council’s assistant director for environment, said work is carried out three times a year, approximately every 12 weeks between March and September.

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He said: “This year’s programme has been adversely affected by a number of factors, including the last two years’ response to the pandemic, which saw a large portion of our workforce redeployed to support the council’s emergency plan. This has impacted on the weed-killing programme during this period, while weather conditions this year have also been ideal for weeds to grow.

“To address this, we are currently deploying additional resources to make sure the street weeds across the borough are treated and kept under control.

"Over the winter period, a deep clean of the borough will take place which will be focusing on removing detritus along kerbs, traffic islands and building edges.

"This will remove the seed bed in which weeds grow so that the number of weeds growing across the borough will reduce compared to this year.”