Dear Sir
On 10th March a County Council contractor scattered weedkiller on just about every lawn and footpath in our area. This is not the usual weedkiller used by previous  contractors, most will have seen them on small tractors, spraying with a wet solution in the past. This is a white powder / pellet form of weed killer which remains visible on the surface of the grass, soil and pavements for some time.
The contractor with the weedkiller was recorded scattering it everywhere, on lawns and pavements and even on private residents’ property. They were seen walking past people’s home dusting just about every patch of green space, even over plants. My lawn is covered in  white powder as is my plants in tubs on my front  lawn.
Who has given these people the right to walk across private property using this weedkiller? Does the County Council know what these contractors  are doing?
What is this weedkiller doing to dogs and cats that lick their paws? We need some answers from the Council about this.
The area concerned is Simpasture and Moule Close and and officer came round this morning to explain  the reason for using pellets saying it was not harmful to animals. All weed killer is harmful to animals when first applied.
If all our grass and plants die we have to get back to the Council, but what if our animals take ill? We are concerned about our pets and want to know exactly what chemical they have used.
The Council also said that their usual tractor weedkiller is yet to come round to do the pavements, so why use this granular weedkiller in the first place? More waste of Council tax payers money!
Brian Sowerby
Jimmy Bennett, the County Council’s clean and green manager, said: “We have reassured Mr Sowerby that if any damage has been caused to his property we will repair it. In the summer we use a liquid weedkiller on footpaths and grassed open areas. During the winter, we use a granular product on grassed areas around trees and street furniture. Both products are non-toxic and bio-degradable. We have been using them for a number of years and they are widely used around the country.”