Grounds maintenance

Things to remember

• We do not cut grass near parked vehicles. This is to minimise any possible damage. If you see our greens team cutting grass in your area, help us complete our work by moving your vehicle briefly.
• Pick it up and bin it – are you a responsible dog owner?
• Did you know we have to right to refuse cutting some grassed areas if there is excess dog mess? Help us by reporting those who commit this offence.
• If there is washing hanging out to dry we also tend to leave any grassed areas as our machinery can kick up quite a lot of dust and grass etc.
• Keep your garden / area clear from litter. A lot of our time on site is spent picking up litter before we can fire up our machines.

Unfortunately, when we are cleaning down footpaths etc our machines can kick up a lot of dust so it makes sense to close your windows when you hear us nearby and avoid getting too close when out and about.

1. Loose debris in the grass can sometimes get picked up and propelled through the air by our machines so maintaining a safe distance from our workers at all times will keep you safe.

2. Keep your children and pets from getting too close to our workers.

3. If you need to pass one of us at work, please make yourself visible on approach and wait until we have stopped our machines before you pass. That way we all stay safe.

Grass not cut / missed.

Possible reasons for this are;

• Vehicles parked too close for the grass to be cut safely.
• Excessive dog mess.
• Pedestrians in close proximity to area being worked.
• Ground is possibly too saturated to get the machines on safely.
• Heavy objects obstructing grassed areas. (Lumps of concrete, household appliances / waste etc)
• Does the missed area actually belong to us?
• Is there any washing out?

Grass not cleaned from footpaths, walls, doors, fascias etc

When working on a large site, we tend to cut all grass before cleaning down. There can be quite a time gap between cutting and cleaning and to a tenant or customer this can give a false impression that we have missed or forgotten to clean down particular areas. Keep this in mind when receiving a complaint regarding this issue.

Obviously, it is possible for us to miss something!

Grass hasn’t been cut for a while.

Possible reasons for this are;

• Bad weather can slow down our progress, delaying our visit to site.
• Has the area been closed off for safety reasons?
• Environmental reasons (wildlife, wild plants etc)
• Excessive dog mess

Litter has not been picked up

We pick up litter before grass cutting but sometimes we do not see litter until we have started cutting due to it being hidden in long grass. This can give the impression that we have not litter picked properly.

Although we do two litter picks per site, it is possible we can miss some!

Dog fouling

The grounds maintenance staff have reported several areas where dog fouling offences and fly-tipping are becoming common, in some areas this problem has increased and ultimately has stopped us from being able to complete our planned work due to the health risks involved. If you see anyone committing either of these offences please report them to the local council.