Green-fingered tenants fuming after contractors leave 'scene of devastation’ in communal garden

Emily Cleary
Updated
Resident Ian Morris with the remains of the garden which he says has been destroyed by the contracted grounds team. (SWNS)
Resident Ian Morris in the communal garden which he says has been 'vandalised' by a contracted grounds team. (SWNS) (SWNS)

Green-fingered tenants are fuming after contractors left a "scene of devastation" in their communal gardens.

Locals in Molyneux Drive, Blackpool, say grounds maintenance workers used a strimmer to chop down hoards of plants, including flowers just coming into bloom.

Ian Morris, 68, who has lived in his property for 23 years, said it was no better than "vandalism".

He said: "We pay £40 a year for ground maintenance and we just want the garden to be nice, it really means a lot to some of the residents here.

"This group of young lads came in with strimmers and just mowed down the shrubs and the flower beds – and then just left it.

"It seemed to me that they just had no idea what they were doing and it was as bad as actual vandalism."

Morris says tenants have always enjoyed the shrubs and flowers in the garden area on their estate, which is run by Blackpool Coastal Housing, an arm of the local council.

(L-R) Residents David Rushforth, Barbara Firth and Ian Morris in the remains of the garden which they say was destroyed by a team of contractors. (SWNS)
(L-R) Residents David Rushforth, Barbara Firth and Ian Morris in the remains of the garden which they say was destroyed by a team of contractors. (SWNS) (SWNS)

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While the area needed tidying up, the residents say they were left shocked after contractors removed and chopped away the flowers, leaving just twigs and branches.

Morris added: "One of the people in charge of contracts told me they were fully qualified and were carrying out winter pruning.

"I told him winter pruning is done back in November, not in spring when things are just starting to grow. They need to come back and sort things out.”.

However, Blackpool Coastal Housing says the work needed doing as the garden had been neglected and had become overgrown. And it insists the contractors had experience in garden work.

John Donnellon, chief executive of the association, said: “ Blackpool Coastal Housing maintain the green areas for the benefit of all its tenants and work with tenants on many areas together where tenants want to get involved in gardening projects.

“In this case the resident that had previously taken on the care of this area has moved and the planting was neglected and overgrown and has been pruned back by our grounds maintenance contractors who are experienced in managing our green spaces.”

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