A NEW online system allowing residents to check when grass will next be cut is in the works to tackle frustrations over overgrown and untidy verges.

Southend Council has been hit with a series of complaints in recent months with overgrown grass verges across the borough being compared to “jungles”.

Now Lydia Hyde, councillor responsible for the environment, has revealed she has been working tirelessly to get a new online system where residents can search their road name and see the schedule set up.

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In the short term, she has devised a spreadsheet showing a new grass cutting schedule which has been distributed to residents.

She said: “The spreadsheet is a short-term fix, as we are hoping to make a system so you can search your road in a search box and it will tell you when it will be cut.

“But that will take time to work out with the technology side of it, so short-term I have worked with officers to establish a route, and built this spreadsheet and map.”

The schedule has divided the city into 18 grass cutting areas which will be done in order with two grass teams.

Ms Hyde said initially there was one main grass cutting team, but the team has now been doubled.

This is in addition to the new team of three dedicated to grass strimming who have now started.

On average, it will take two to three days to complete each individual route, but it is stressed that this is just an average with smaller routes taking less time and bigger routes taking longer.

Council bosses say this average will improve as teams catch up and additional staffing that have been recruited has an impact.

Ms Hyde added: “Residents can now see the areas that are coming next, they know which area their road is cut in, and they can find out when – which was unknown before.

“No one knew when it would be cut, so this is more organised, and there is now a schedule to stop it happening again.”