A RESIDENT took it upon himself to cut the grass verge outside his home because it blocked his view of oncoming traffic.

Andy Atkinson, aged 40, of Malvern Road, Powick, trimmed the grass after becoming fed up with waiting for the council to act.

However, Worcestershire County Council plans to cut the grass on the dual carriageway section of Malvern Road today.

Mr Atkinson said: “The grass verge outside ours is dangerous. You can’t see oncoming traffic.

“It’s a safety issue and it’s not visually nice. It had become overgrown and looked bad.

“I cut the immediate area around the bins. As a property owner you want your place to look nice. With it growing 4ft tall it’s not.

“It was the council’s responsibility to cut that part but they didn’t.

“We pay council tax for these things to be done and end up doing it ourselves. I did the same thing last year.”

Mr Atkinson said residents who live opposite Ridgeway Storage, on Malvern Road, have also cut the verge outside their properties.

The ambulance technician said it is dangerous to pull into his drive when returning from Malvern as the central reservation is still overgrown.

Helen Moon, aged 47, of Malvern Road, Powick, said: “The grass in the central reservation is so tall that my husband who’s over 6ft can’t see the oncoming traffic to cross on foot, let alone getting across in the car.

“It used to be cut three or four times a year, the last couple of years it hasn’t been cut until May and by this time the grass is so tall that you really are endangering your life trying to get across the road.

“It’s a bit of a daily trial. People I knew have died at this section in the past, so it really is very scary.”

Tom Wells, county councillor for Powick, said: “Motorists accessing the main road are taking their lives into their own hands at the moment.

“To achieve the visibility we need they must cut much deeper than they are, for the grass verge.

“The A449 road is one of the most dangerous in Worcestershire. Four young guys died about 10 years ago.”Contractors carried out emergency work to improve visibility for cars turning right towards Malvern from Powick’s Sparrowhall Lane after the county council filed a request on May 17.

Workers will cut grass on the dual carriageway section today and the wider road on Thursday.

A county council spokesman added: “The county’s grass cutting program for this year commenced during the first week in May and we’re aiming to have the programme completed within four to six weeks of its start date.

“All verge maintenance activities on dual carriageways in the county require lane closures to ensure public and operative safety whilst works are taking place.

“Each lane closure requires a specialist company to carry out the traffic management, whilst road space also needs to be booked and approved to ensure there are no clashes with other road work activities or major events in the county.”