FURIOUS residents of a quiet Poole suburb are taking on the council over uncut grass.

People living in Merley say cost-cutting at the Borough of Poole is to blame for plans to leave a large area of green space near Sopwith Crescent to grow during the summer.

The residents say the grass is already knee-high, and both litter and dog-fouling is becoming a problem.

Rita Webb has put laminated posters up on nearby trees to inform locals of the problems.

She said: “For over 30 years, this grass has been cut by the council or contractors, and they have now decided that they’re just going to trim around the edges instead of making a real job of it.

“Everybody is up in arms about it. It’s proving to be very difficult for people who want to enjoy this lovely facility, and it’s really just a blithering mess.”

The council plan to keep the grass uncut throughout the summer.

But Mrs Webb, a resident of Merley for 34 years, said the delay is unacceptable.

“They are using biodiversity as an excuse as they say it encourages wildlife,” she said.

“What we’ve actually found is that this is becoming a haven for dog mess as people often let their dogs off the lead and it’s almost impossible to see where they’re going,” she added.

However, Pete Dominic, who has lived in a neighbouring road for 34 years, has disagreed, and said the long grass is “brilliant”.

“I think it would look really lovely if the council gave us wildflower seeds,” he said.

Simon Legg, street scene operations manager for the council said: “We are currently undertaking wildflower grass area trials throughout Poole, with a view to increasing biodiversity and allowing people the opportunity to enjoy the wide range of wildflowers and grasses that flourish in our town.

“Overall, the feedback we have received from local people about these trials we have put in place has been generally positive.”

He said several locations in the vicinity of Sopwith Crescent in Merley form part of this trial as well as areas in Canford Heath, Creekmoor, Sterte, Holes Bay Road and Upton Bypass.

The council will make a decision on whether to continue the approach as the season continues.

In a poll on the Echo website last week, 57 per cent of people thought grass verges should be left uncut. You can read the debate and comments here.