A community-spirited pensioner has been left devastated after the council re-routed a bus service destroying an area he has tended for years.
For the past 15 years Gerald Watts has looked after the grass verges along Hillside Road in Blacon, in a bid to keep his community looking neat and tidy.
But now the 78-year-old has been left heartbroken after buses were rerouted along the road, with many cutting over the grass, totally destroying the well kept area.
Former vet Gerald, who volunteers at The Arches Community Primary School looking after the animals, said buses had mounted the curb and caused deep ruts along the roadside which he feared could damage water, sewage and gas mains.
“The buses go over the edge and don’t slow down,” said Gerald, who has numerous voluntary roles and mows the grass with his neighbour, Thomas Davies, twice a week.
“There can be anything between four-eight buses in an hour. It is a narrow road, they can get past but they just don’t take care.”
Gerald said he felt let down by the bus companies and the council, saying that people living on the road had not been consulted about the reroute, and the damage was beyond repair.
“When I retired I thought I would give something back, I take a lot of pride in doing it,” said Gerald.
“I feel considerably let down, and heartbroken. All of this could have been avoided. Nobody thought to ask the residents who live in the road their opinion, yet collectively the people affected contribute thousands of pounds a year for council tax.”
Despite a number of calls from The Chronicle, CWaC had not commented on this issue by the time we went to press.
