In the wake of last year’s complaints about the state of grass verges in St Albans, the district and county council have been putting their heads together over who is best placed to handle the work.

Complaints about the state of grass verges across the district proliferated last year with numerous residents complaining that they looked overgrown and unkempt and were not being cut often enough.

Until last year, grass verge maintenance was managed within the district council’s ground maintenance contract to standards set by the county council.

But it transpired last year that there had been delays in signing a contract with the district council’s contractors John O’Conner and uncertainty about the future of the contract meant the company was reluctant to spend out a lot of money on more efficient cutters.

This year, the work will be largely directly managed by the county council with some aspects handled by the district council including maintaining shrub beds on highways, landscaped roundabouts and land around entrance signage.

The county council will take over responsibility for cutting grass verges, road verges and hedges in rural areas and weed spraying of hard-surfaced roads and footpaths.

Cllr Daniel Chichester- Miles, the council’s environment portfolio holder, said: “These arrangements will see the relevant authority maintaining land in line with their responsibilities and experience.”