“If the council won’t clear the path, I’ll do it myself!”

A LOCAL man has taken it upon himself to clear the pathway leading from Meadow Lane to Silbury Close, due to Wiltshire Council’s lack of action.

Tony Stening, 79, is a frequent user of the path whilst walking his dog and for some time the path has been in need of some attention as the bushes are always left to become overgrown, obstructing the pathway.

Tony uses a mobility scooter and often gets caught amongst the overgrowth,  causing thorns to scratch his face and attach to his clothes. After several complaints to Wiltshire Council with no avail, he decided to clear the path himself.

He spends up to 30 minutes each time shovelling the mud from the path, cutting overhanging branches and trimming back bushes just to allow him, and others, to use the pathway safely.

He said, “If I can do an okay job in half an hour, then someone who is young and fit will do a good job in no time. The area is manageable now, it’s winter, but when it comes to April and the summer, it will have grown considerable amounts and I won’t be able to manage it. I shouldn’t have to do it, but if I don’t, it won’t get done at all.

“I carry around my secateurs in case I need them when I go out, or I have to use my crutch to knock the brambles out of the way. They don’t think of people like me, or those who are partially sighted or other disabilities, as to them it’s just an overgrown bush, but it has a big impact on our lives.

“When the path is clear, I can use my scooter and also pass a pushchair or a lady with a shopping trolley very easily. When the bushes are overgrown and the mud is covering the path, it makes it impossible. The wet leaves are also like an ice rink sometimes, especially when I’m walking with my crutch.

“Other people help too and share my frustrations by clearing litter, but it should be the council’s job to do something about it, not ours. The Council Tax is going up too, yet they can’t afford to send someone to tend to a small job that would benefit so many, it’s a shambles.”

Tony has also identified several other areas in Westbury that are overgrown such as further down Meadow Lane and Rosefield Way.

A Wiltshire Council spokesperson said: “We are looking into this specific lane to see what can be done to improve the situation. Work of this type is typically carried out by the parish steward who visits the town once a month and works on the priorities given by the town council.

“We also ask that issues such as this are reported by people via the MyWiltshire system. An inspection can be carried out and if necessary the work can be added onto the monthly visit.”