Country road branded “highly dangerous”

A NARROW country road in Felsted has been branded as "highly dangerous" by residents because of the overgrown hedgerow.

Wendy Clark, who lives on Stevens Lane, near Felsted, said: "The main problem is that the hedge has grown over the last seven years without being cut.

"This is now a highly dangerous situation and could result in someone being hurt."

"It used to be a quiet country lane in a conservation area that people like to walk down, but they can no longer do it safely. There are a number of vehicles that now use the road, including large delivery trucks," she added.

Not only are the vehicles a potential danger to pedestrians, but Ms Clark believes that they are causing damage to people's property.

"Vehicles are trying to avoid scrapping along the side of the hedge by mounting the garden of the lady opposite. It's churning up her grass."

Ms Clark has been in touch with Felsted Parish Council and Essex County Council, but said: "Nobody wants to deal with it, they are passing the buck."

After contacting the highways office, based in Harlow, two weeks ago, Mrs Clark said: "Since then we have had a visitor from highways to fill in two potholes, which I might add are opening up again."

She said that they also had a tractor come and cut back the verge and hedgerow further the down the road, but she added: "This was not the hedgerow in question."

A spokesperson for Essex County Council highways office said: "That section of road has become overgrown and we had sent someone down to deal with the problem, however on this occasion there was an area of hedgerow that got missed out.

"In response to Mrs Clark's letter we have sent an officer to visit the site and we will be hiring a contractor to deal with it. The work will be completed hopefully within the next week or two.