Call for action on overgrown ditches

Overgrown roadside ditches in various areas of County Tipperary are causing concern for councillors, who have called on the local authority to take a tough stance with landowners who fail to trim them. Speaking at the September meeting of Tipperary County Council, Cllr Seamus Hanafin said the overgrown ditches were causing damage to cars and difficulties for pedestrians on rural roads.

Cllr Michael Fitzgerald said more pressure needed to be put on landowners to cut roadside ditches because there were a lot of problems associated with those that were overgrown.

Council management say landowners are generally compliant with requests from the council to trim ditches, but there were a small percentage who were not and proceedings have had to be taken against them. The council said that in recent years it had taken a much stronger line with landowners who fail to cut roadside ditches and would be doing so again now that another cutting season approaches.

Cllr Michael Anglim, a landowner himself, said there should be no restrictions on the time of year that people are allowed to cut roadside ditches.