Shocking state of the region’s rural roads
Rural roads are so poorly maintained that some farmers don’t bother cleaning the mud off their vehicle’s wheels before driving on them, a Telford councillor has claimed.
Operators of tractors, harvesters and other agricultural vehicles are required by law not to bring excess soil onto public highways and could be charged by the council for clean-up works.
But Labour member Clive Mason, who represents the Donnington ward on Telford & Wrekin Council, said: “Some rural roads are suffering from neglect. Some even have grass growing up through the middle.
“It’s getting to the point where farmers, coming out of the field, don’t bother cleaning the muck off their wheels before going on the road.”
Angie Astley, Telford & Wrekin Council’s assistant director of neighbourhood services, said: “Farmers do have a responsibility to clean their vehicles. That’s an issue of enforcement.”
The 1980 Highways Act gives local authorities the power to deal with various nuisances and dangers in public highways and makes it an offence to allow soil or refuse from land to fall, be washed, or carried on to a public road.
The same act gives local authorities the power to recover “reasonable expenses”, having cleaned the road.
Councillor Mason and Ms Astley were speaking at a meeting of the borough’s Customer, Community and Partnership Scrutiny Committee, which heard that a new 10-year contract for street cleaning and ground maintenance had been awarded to ID Verde Ltd.
The new firm will take over from current contractor Telford and Wrekin Services on April 1, 2019.
By Alex Moore - Local Democracy Reporter
