AFTER no-mow May and a rather wet start to spring, Wokingham Borough Council is preparing to get back on track with its grass cutting strategy.
The Met Office says the amount of rain that fell in March meant it was the wettest since 1981, and the third wettest on record.
This has had a major impact on plans to keep the borough green and tidy – the weight of the machinery used by its contractors means the ground has been damaged.
A council spokesperson told Wokingham Today that crews are now catching up and expect to be back on schedule by the end of the month.
However, not everywhere will receive a short back and sides this month.
The council says its grass cutting cycle for most of its verges and “informal” open spaces is more than four weeks between cuts, and even less frequent for rural verges.
This is to allow smaller plants such as daisies and birds-foot-trefoil to flower, providing a food source for bees, butterflies and other invertebrates.
And in larger open spaces, such as parks and football pitches, the council says although there is a need cut the grass regularly, there will often be designated areas for long grass which is cut annually, to provide food and shelter for wildlife.
Cllr Ian Shenton, executive member for environment, sport and leisure on Wokingham Borough Council, said: “It really was a perfect storm: a wet winter, and a wet March when we normally start to cut.”
He said that as the council contractors went out they saw the problems the machinery was causing and felt they had to pause to allow the ground to dry out some more. Then came a run of bank holidays including Easter and the King’s coronation.
“The contractors have done all the right things,” he said, adding they had protected sightlines to ensure road safety.
But the delays weren’t caused by a no mow May policy, he said, pointing out that the normal cutting cycle for areas was between four and five weeks on open grass areas. Leaving them for longer would be “impractical” he said, adding that people should be thinking about pollinating flowers across the year and not just in May.
Now though, Cllr Shenton is looking forward to getting back on schedule.
“We have been struggling to catch up, but we will be by the end of the month,” he said.
