A ONE-metre strip of grassland along a popular footpath is cut every 10 days during the summer despite a plan to reduce mowing. 

Torfaen Borough Council supports a “nature isn’t neat” policy which means for many areas there is annual cut and collect policy but the frequency of mowing, during the growing season, is every 10 days for the one-metre strip to maintain access along the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal towpath. 

Councillor Mandy Owen, the Labour council’s cabinet member for the environment, said a council scrutiny committee will review its grass cutting and mowing policies in November. 

She had been asked to define “regularly mowed” and “safe access” after she had said, in a response to a question from Cllr David Thomas, at July’s meeting that the margin of grassland along the canal bank was cut. 

At October’s full council meeting the Reform Party councillor for Llantarnam asked for “a thorough cut back now nesting season is over” and said: The canal path is the main cycle route between Cwmbran and Newport. 

“The hedgerows are overgrown and are at present dangerous. Low branches and trailing brambles are a danger to cyclists using this route and also the canal banks are so overgrown that there is no definition between the path and canal water.”