ANGRY Basingstoke residents have accused the borough council of desecrating the countryside with its ruthless hedge cutting.

The Gazette has received several letters of complaint from people who are hot under the collar over the way in which shrubs and plants have been maintained.

Many feel the work - carried out by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council's streetcare department - is nothing more than a "botched job" that has left a trail of "devastation and destruction".

Areas where work has come under fire include Lychpit, Brighton Hill, the central reservation on Basingstoke's Winchester Road dual carriageway and the A340 near Pamber Green.

Julia Bone, 58, of Maple Road, Tadley, said she was so disgusted by what she had seen that she felt compelled to voice her concerns.

She said: "The standard of professional work that has been carried out is nil and I am absolutely horrified.

"I have lived in the countryside for a number of years and have never seen the hedges cut back as severely as they have been this year.

"Hedges are living things and care should be taken to cut them back properly - but these hedges have been hacked so much that the bark has been stripped.

"Obviously, the workmen who carried out this job have lost all pride in their work. All they've done is desecrate the countryside and that's a real shame."

Gordon Holdcroft, chief executive of the council, said that while the hedge cutting may appear to be brutal, it not only encouraged good growth, but kept shrubs under control for safety reasons.

"During the spring months it is important to cut back hardy shrubs," he said. "This type of cutting back initially looks brutal, but it encourages good growth to enhance the appearance and hardiness of our planting.

"While it can look quite severe when the work has just been carried out, as the spring season really gets into swing the shrubs will quickly regenerate to become far more attractive.

"It is important to keep our hedgerow and central reservation planting under control to help protect the safety of car drivers and pedestrians."

The council's streetcare team is responsible for street cleansing, grounds maintenance, including hedge cutting, and waste management.

Mr Holdcroft said all streetcare workers were fully trained and experts in their field.

Do you have a view on this issue? Write to The Letters Editor, Gazette Newspapers, Gazette House, Pelton Road, Basingstoke, RG21 6YD or e-mail editor@basingstokegazette.co.uk

First published: Friday, March 11, 2005