Overgrown hedges a hazard for walkers, claims resident

The issue was raised by Raymond McMaster, a resident of Craigs Road who regularly walks along the route.

“The footpaths along Prince Andrew Way from the roundabout up towards Craigs Road are nearly inaccessible now; it’s a wide footpath and they’re actually covering most of it,” he told the Times.

“It’s so bad that people with pushchairs or mobility scooters are having to move onto the grass beside the footpath, which was only manageable when the grass was dry. It’s dangerous for people who are out using that footpath.

“I have spoken to [TransportNI] about it any they have told me it is the landowner’s responsibility to cut the hedges back, but there are a lot of residents whose gardens back onto Prince Andrew Way and as far as they are concerned their property ends at their fence, which is inside the hedge.”

Responding to Mr McMaster’s query, a spokesperson for Transport NI confirmed that the roads authority is not responsible for maintaining the landscaped areas along Prince Andrew Way.

However, the spokesperson indicated that it had contacted the landowner to request that the overgrown hedges be cut back.

“Transport NI is currently seeking to get the last registered owner to cut back the vegetation,” said the spokesperson.

“The problem is that they requested this a few months ago, and still nothing’s been done about it,” Mr McMaster claimed.