A COUNCIL is being called on to sharpen up its grass-cutting policy - and put an end to fly-tipping on a patch of public land.

Brian Atkinson claims that since Blackburn with Darwen Council has stopped cutting the grass on the site between Ulverston Close and Roman Road in Blackburn right back to the wall which edges it, fly tippers have taken to dumping rubbish there.

Now Mr Atkinson, of Ulverston Close, is calling for the grass to be cut back properly and for action to be taken against the people who have been dumping rubbish there.

Mr Atkinson, 53, a security officer, said: "Until two years ago, the council used to cut the grass right back to the wall but now they only cut it halfway. The grass has just got higher and higher. "Now it is being tipped on. It is absolutely terrible. There is all sorts of rubbish there, cardboard boxes, bags of clothes, bricks."

Mr Atkinson said he had raised the problem with several departments of Blackburn with Darwen Council over the last 18 months, to no avail.

"About 10 houses look out over this and it is a real mess, but no-one seems to want to help," he said.

A spokesman for Blackburn with Darwen Council said the grass had not been cut right back to the wall because builders' rubble had been left on the land and to cut the grass over it would have damaged the mower blades.

But he said action would be taken soon to sort out the mess.

"We are going to make sure that it is cleared up so we can cut the grass properly," he said.

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