Health and safety bosses refuse to cut grass verge - because it's on a slope

A stunned mother asked council workmen to cut a patch of overgrown communal grass after her son injured himself on buried broken glass - only to be told it was too dangerous to mow.

Vanessa Crowhurst had rang a local authority hotline after her 11-year old son Jamie slipped and sliced his right shin on hidden shards in the verge.

But officials declined to send out a lawnmower fearing the grass road siding was too much of a hazard to mow due health and safety regulations.

They said workmen might slip and fall too because it was on an embankment - leading to possible legal action.

Today Mrs Crowhurst, 40, who works as a carer, said: ‘I am absolutely outraged at the attitude of the council.

‘Surely the health and safety of the kids is more important.

‘At least the workmen can wear protective clothing. Some other lad could hurt himself.

‘These health and safety laws are political correctness gone mad. The grass used to be cut frequently in the past and if the law has been changed to say ridiculous things like this then it needs to be changed back.’

The incident occurred when Jamie was playing football with friends outside the family home and kicked a ball onto the grass on an embankment. He went to retrieve the ball but slipped and fell cutting his leg on a broken bottle.

‘My son had to have seven stitches in his leg - the cut was directly down his shin so it was very graphic,’ said Mrs Crowhurst, a mother of two from Altrincham, Manchester.

‘It looked like when you cut open your Sunday joint you could nearly see to the bone. He has only had one week of his summer where he could go out and play properly.

‘The grass is so long you can’t see what is in it and there is nothing more attractive to kids when they”re playing than long grass, I know when I was younger I was worse.’

Verge of dispute: The long grass that Trafford Borough Council won't mow

Mrs Crowhurst called Trafford Borough Council to complaint about the long grass and its hidden danger.

She was told on the phone that an official would get back to her.

‘Obviously no one ever did so I rang again a week later and was told that a note had been put on my complaint saying “No further action,” she explained.

‘I was then told by the person who wrote the note that it was against health and safety to cut the grass because the incline on the grass was too steep and there was nothing the council could do.

‘I said the grass was full of rubbish and glass and that rats will be the next thing. She told me that if there was glass in the grass then the council’s workers might cut themselves.

‘You can imagine how that sounded after my eleven year old has just had seven stitches and has a scar which will never go.

‘There is absolutely nothing I can do now because the council is not legally required to cut the grass - but I would argue that it should be done morally.

‘And if they can’t maintain the grass then they should pave or tarmac it.’ A spokesman for Conservative-run Trafford Council said: ‘The grass on the embankment is not cut on a regular basis because of the dangers of working on a steep gradient.

‘We are concerned to hear about this incident and are looking at whether the area can be planted out with low growing shrubs to further discourage children from playing in the area.’