FEARS have been raised Newquay’s appearance is being ruined following a decision to allow weeds to grow out of control.

Newquay Town Council’s environment and facilities committee voted earlier this year to stop spraying glyphosate on where the highways meet kerbs due to concerns the substance could damage people’s health.

The committee’s “Plan B” has seen the authority’s environment team manually pulling the weeds out of 10 percent of the town’s 144km of kerbsides at Mount Wise, Marcus Hill, Newquay Library, the Killacourt, Doorstep Green, South Fistral and Newquay Train Station whilst the rest has been left untouched.

But the staff say they have become “disheartened” as they feel like they are “fighting a losing battle” due the weeds growing back so soon after they are removed.  

Residents and councillors have now urged the town council committee, which is controlled by the Green Party, to organise an alternative method of removing the weeds that have grown two foot high in places as soon as possible following concerns tourism, and the highway are being damaged.

They fear the situation is only going to get worse after the environment and facilities committee voted at its recent meeting to write a letter to Cornwall Council stating the town council will no longer undertake any weed control where the highway meets the kerb from 2025.

A number of people believe the unsightly weed situation is being exacerbated by Cornwall Council’s policy to reduce the number of times verges are cut during the year to encourage wildflowers and pollinators to thrive. Others are happy insects and insectivores seem to be thriving more over the last few months compared with previous years.

Resident Jason Russell said: “Newquay Town Council has increased the council tax by 37 per cent and I have never seen Newquay so weed infested as it has been this year.

“I know the Greens voted not to have weedkiller spray and I get that but there doesn’t seem to be a plan B. It is in such a state, and it will damage the roads if people don’t complain. Who will foot the bill for that. That bill will go on to Cornwall.

“Pretty much the whole of Newquay it’s an issue. I would look around and think would I want to come to Newquay.”

Councillor Andy Hannan added: “Whether you agree with the use of glyphosate or not, the fact remains that it remains the only true effective, affordable and deliverable way of controlling our weeds.

“Spraying took part twice a year by a fully licensed contractor, who followed all the relevant guidelines, using a licensed chemical spray.

“Last year we experimented with a 50 per cent diluted solution, as part of a first ever trial, and it proved to be very effective.

“I personally would like to eventually stop using all chemicals, but the Green councillors are pursuing a biodiversity policy that will immediately stop the council using any kind of artificial chemical, before there is any viable alternative in place.

“If you look around our town, you will already have noticed that there are more and more weeds growing on our kerbsides.

“Even though the policy has yet to go before full council for approval, the Green Party members, who control the environment and services committee, has elected not to renew the longstanding weed spraying contact.

“They are now in total disarray, having cancelled their proposed alternative solution at the meeting, after it was established that it was just not deliverable.

“Newquay now has no planned weed control for its 144km of kerbsides.

“A proposal to carry out a public survey was put forward by myself and Cllr Gardner during the meeting, but it was turned down by the Green party councillors present.

“I would urge everyone to contact the council to give us your views.”

Councillor Olly Monk said: “The increase of weeds on the streets of Newquay has been caused by the Green Party and the deputy mayor’s decision not to clear the weeds in our town.

“They have failed to come up with any alternative solution and as a result the town’s appearance is suffering.

“I think this is totally unacceptable. They need to come up with a plan that actually works and implement it as soon as possible.

“Failure to do so will ultimately result in our town being faced with more weeds and a massive clear up.”

The town council took over the responsibility of removing weeds where the highway meets the kerb from Cornwall Council nine years ago after the authority felt it “could do a better job,” but some councillors have called it “double taxation.”

Mayor Drew Creek said: “The committee voted to write to Cornwall Council reiterating communications with the unitary authority earlier this year verbally to inform them that we no longer wish to manage treatment of roads for vegetation from 2025.

“We asked the environment team to come back with proposals for ways to manage vegetation growth alongside manual removal.

“The good news is that Newquay has not sprayed poisonous glyphosate this year and despite other parts of the UK having seen steep declines in biodiversity this year for many reasons Newquay appears anecdotally, to be thriving with many more insects and insectivores being apparent over the last few months compared with previous years.”

Katie Larsen, the chairman of the environment and facilities committee, added: “There was a plan B proposed which is that if residents had concerns about certain areas they could contact the council and tell us about them but we haven‘t received any as far as I’m aware.

“It’s the same everywhere for a variety of reasons. There is a growing awareness about the danger of glyphosate. There are councils across the country not using glyphosate along with many organisations because of the dangers.

“Some are transitioning to other methods. The kerb is significantly more overgrown in places in Cornwall than in Newquay.

“There are concerns but we are also receiving many messages from people in the community who are saying they are happy glyphosate is not being used.”