FEARS have been raised pavements and kerbsides in Newquay are being damaged by out of control weeds.

Cornwall councillors Heinze Glanville and Lyndon Harrison believe there could be a high cost to the taxpayer and the state of the public realm unless urgent action is taken.

They have now started asking questions of County Highways and Newquay Town Council about what the authorities plan to do to remedy the situation following concerns the roadsides in the town are looking “disgusting.”

The councillors believe the issue has come about due to glyphosate no longer being used to control weeds on roads, pavements and verges. The unitary authority voted against reintroducing the chemical weedkiller in April due to concerns it is a significant risk to health and ecology. The town council has also banned the use of glyphosate.

The issue was raised at Newquay Town Council’s meeting on Wednesday, October 7.

Cllr Glanville, the Reform Cornwall councillor for St Columb Minor and Colan, said: “The state of the weeds on verges and curbs around the whole of Newquay I think is starting to look disgusting.

“Walk around Trenance, under the viaduct, and you can see it for yourself. Weeds around the railings are three or four feet high, and grass and weeds are growing out of the kerbs. This was once the pride of Newquay, a place visitors and locals were proud of. Look around the town and the surrounding area now and it is a mess.

“We have a fine display of weeds. Nobody seems to care and residents deserve better.

“We all pay council tax, which increases by the maximum year after year, but services keep declining. We should at the very least expect our bins to be collected and our streets kept clean and tidy.

“If weeds are left to grow, they push the kerbstones out and break up the tarmac. A highways officer has already said the kerbs and pavements are being damaged and will have to be replaced. That then is a bigger cost to the taxpayer, especially at the rates Cormac charges.

“Dropping glyphosate may be convenient for Cornwall Council. It is one less cost. It does not mean the council can walk away from the highways. We pay for them. If glyphosate is no longer the method, another one has to be found.

“I’ve asked Dan Rogerson, Cornwall Council’s cabinet member for transport, what he intends to do about it.

“The streets should be tidy, and they should be free of weeds. I will leave it there.”

Lyndon Harrison, the Reform Cornwall councillor for Newquay Porth and Tretherras, believes Newquay Town Council, which is controlled by the Green Party, should be doing more to sort out the weed situation along Newquay’s roads. But mayor Cllr Drew Creek, who represents the Green Party, accused him of playing party politics as weed control on Newquay's roads, pavements and verges is the responsibility of Cornwall Council.

Cllr Harrison said: “I understand the town council don’t want to use glyphosate, but the problem is that nothing has come up to replace it. That is the only material that is any good at what needs to be done.

“People want their streets kept clean and this place looks like nobody cares about it. That is not good enough. I want people to have pride in where they live.”

Cllr Creek said: “I have to interrupt but chair’s prerogative though. Newquay Town Council is not responsible for the highways and verges in Newquay. It is indeed Cornwall Council’s responsibility.

“We were asked by Cornwall Council back in 2017 to take on the spraying of highways because Cornwall Council did not want to be seen to be using glyphosate on the road highway.

“We were paid for that privilege before my time back in 2017. Over the years we were stopped being paid to do the work of Cornwall Council. Therefore, we ceased doing the work of Cornwall Council. Around the same time the town council passed a biodiversity policy, which meant we would not engage in any new contracts for spraying herbicides, fungicides and pesticides and indeed we wouldn’t use those products on our own assets, which we don’t.

“So, if you have an issue with the state of the highways and the verges in your division, please bring that up with the relevant officer at Cornwall Council and please do not bring politics into this chamber.”

Cllr Creek later added: Weed control on Newquay's roads, pavements and verges is the responsibility of Cornwall Council, full stop. Newquay Town Council has no remit for weed control beyond its own small green spaces, such as the Killacourt. Councillor Glanville and Harrison sit on Cornwall Council as part of the official opposition and know exactly where that responsibility lies. Bringing it to the town council to point the finger, rather than raising it in the Cornwall Council chamber where the decisions are made, is playing politics, not solving the problem.

“The decision to stop using glyphosate was Cornwall Council's, and moving away from it is the right thing to do for public health, for wildlife and for our watercourses and beaches. But you can't simply stop spraying and put nothing in its place. If weeds are now damaging kerbs and pavements, that's a cost Cornwall Council will end up paying anyway, and a clear reason to properly fund an effective alternative rather than leave our streets to get worse.

“I share residents' frustration, and I've been getting on with it. In Trenance I've been out with residents, getting my hands dirty clearing weeds ourselves. As Mayor, I've asked town council officers to look at the options and costs of the town council helping Cornwall Council with this work and they are in dialogue. But I'll be clear, that will only happen if the numbers add up. I will not ask Newquay residents to pay twice for the same service through their council tax.”

Cllr Rogerson has been contacted for comment but has so far not responded.