Medway Council is continuing to face criticism over the state of grass verges.

The authority has continued to receive complaints about unkempt grass on road verges, paths, and some parks, despite the fact a scheme to refrain from cutting grassed areas, called No Mow May, came to an end two months ago.

Earlier last month, the council's leader Alan Jarrett announced his disdain for the project which encourages local authorities to stop cutting grass for a month in order to spur on wildlife and biodiversity.

He has since said the scheme will not proceed next year in the same manner.

The council's Twitter account has attracted complaints about unsightly paths and road verges in recent weeks, with some people asking why grass has been left to grow despite the scheme coming to an end.

Disability rights campaigner Sue Groves MBE, who uses a powerchair to get around, said the grass on the pavement running along Heron Way in Princes Park had not been cut for around three months.

She took to Twitter to say: "When it was No Mow May I understood the ethos behind it, but two months on and I am having to deal with situations like this all over Medway rendering paths inaccessible to me as a powerchair user. Can we have an August blitz please...I want to go out and about!"

"People were proud of this park, it now looks a disgrace"

Barry Jones also got in touch with the Local Democracy Reporting Service to complain about the condition of Broomhill Park in Strood, saying he has written to councillors to bring it to their attention.

He said: "People were proud of this park, it now looks a disgrace. The bits that have been done have been hacked as it was too long.

"Dog walkers have admitted to not picking up their dog's poo as they cannot find it and this is so dangerous for young children.

"It is now turning into a No Mow May to August. I'm so disappointed this has been allowed to happen."

Rainham resident and Medway Liberal Democrat member Stuart Bourne started a petition on the council's website calling on them to retain No Mow May with some alterations which now has more than 180 signatures.

He said he had noticed how, during May, some areas of the town, including Rainham Recreation Ground and outside council-owned sheltered housing complex Suffolk Court, the grass had been cut.

He said: "If we are going to get a workable plan ready for next year’s No Mow May campaign, it’s vital we know what worked and what didn’t work this year.

"Yet there is a huge amount of confusion surrounding what the council did do in May, with some parks and lawns being cut whilst others being left long.

"It’ll be great if the council could publish what happened in 2021 so we can help make 2022 No Mow May perfect for everyone."

Ruth Du-Lieu, assistant director of frontline services said: “No Mow May was a national initiative the council adopted as part of its work to tackle Climate Change.

"The scheme, which is becoming increasingly popular, is aimed at encouraging people to allow their grass to grow during the month of May in order to look after the environment, allow wild grasses and flowers to thrive, and to allow bees, hoverflies, and butterflies to provide natural food sources.

"The scheme did achieve this, however, if repeated next year, the council will look at making some changes to ensure some areas are still cut to maintain safety.

"We are taking our climate change responsibilities and No Mow May feedback seriously.

"We will take account of hygiene factors such as, dog mess in long grass (removing it in a clean and safe way) and, of course, environmental factors like litter picking.

"We take account of amenity needs and values across Medway and will take into account issues such as road safety as we appreciate that verges did affect blind spots and blocked road users’ views this year.

"It is very complex subject, but learning from this year we will have more plans in place in 2022.

"Climate change is one of the major priorities for the council having declared a climate change emergency in 2019, and our commitment to addressing it in Medway and the steps we are taking are all set out in our Climate Change Action Plan published recently.

"We are keen to work with the Medway community to do all that we can together to tackle this global challenge.

"For future campaigns, there will be a comprehensive communications campaign beforehand to ensure our residents understand what we are doing and why and how this links to the climate change agenda, and to encourage others to do their bit too."

To find out how to report problems with grass cutting, hedge trimming and shrubs, and for further information on how the council cuts grass, go to bit.ly/3yjhiNy