HEALTH and safety red tape is preventing village greens from being cut because they slope too much.

Darlington Borough Council has said it can no longer cut areas of grass on slopes greater than 25 degrees.

However, angry residents have accused the authority of using health and safety legislation as an excuse for not paying for the upkeep of its village green.

For many years, the council has cut the village green at Middleton One Row.

This year, however, it has said it will no longer do so because the angle of the green, which slopes down to the River Tees, is too dangerous.

Parish council chairwoman and local ward councillor Doris Jones has called for an immediate meeting with borough council officials.

She believes the council, which is having to cut £19.5m from its £107m budget, no longer wants to pay for cutting the green.

Councillor Jones said: “This is health and safety gone mad. This is a conservation area and it’s a disgrace.

“The parish council own the land, but it’s been looked after by the borough since the year dot – as long as anyone can remember.

“The person who did it in the past did a wonderful job – he’s been going up and down quite happily – and now they’re saying the angle is wrong.

“It’s rubbish, it’s just an opportunity for them to stop doing it.”

The council has said it would cost £40,000 for specialist equipment to cut the banks and £25,000 in extra manpower costs.

However, Coun Jones and her fellow Middleton St George councillor Steve York are disputing these costs.

“You expect some quality of service and it’s not happening,” she added.

“We have the view that why should we take over the borough’s service when our parish grant has been frozen for four years.

“I wouldn’t ask any operator to put his life at risk, but the slope hasn’t changed over the years and there’s flat areas that haven’t been cut.

“We’re a bit angry.”

Other areas in the borough affected by the ban are:

• Redworth (High Road);
• Denes (behind old Brook Terrace Depot);
• Neasham (flail cut one side);
• The Green, East View, Sadberge (replace with flail cut);
• Small slope on Middleton Lane, Sadberge (replace with flail cut);
• Cockerton Green (north side).

A council spokeswoman said that in February, Middleton St George Parish Council had been informed that the green would no longer be cut.

She said: “Unfortunately, the council’s Street Scene team are unable to cut grass on banks with a gradient greater than 25 degrees safely with equipment that we currently own.

“There are a limited number of grassed banks throughout the borough with a gradient over 25 degrees.

“In the current economic climate, the council is not in a position to purchase the specialised equipment needed to cut the grass on those banks and, unfortunately, this will mean that the grass on banks with a gradient of more than 25 degrees can no longer be cut.”