A Stafford Borough Councillor has this week called for an inquiry into the poor level of cutting of Council owned grass verges in Haughton, Church Eaton, and Gnosall following a string of complaints from local residents.

Councillor Barry Stamp said that over the past couple of years the service had steadily declined, but it had now hit an all time low.

"Over the past few years the residents of Haughton, Church Eaton, and Gnosall have seen a steady decline in the standard of maintenance of Borough Council owned grassed areas to a level that, I believe, is no longer acceptable. Infrequent grass cutting has left the areas untidy, a fact made especially difficult to comprehend when you see the manicured grass in Stafford town. Either the level of service the rural areas is getting from the contractors working for the Council is not up to standard, or resources are being poured into the town areas. It has been suggested by some people that the villages have been abandoned in an attempt to ensure Stafford and Stone do well in the Britain in Bloom competition. Something urgently needs to be done to redress this balance. I will be raising this matter with the Council and will be asking both the Development Services and Housing Scrutiny Committees to investigate what is going wrong," said Councillor Stamp.