I would like to draw your attention to the disgraceful state of the grass verges in Hillside, Portslade.

Recently, we suffered weeks of disruption to the refuse bin collections.

Now the council cannot even keep the grass verges looking tidy.

And this is a council which has defied the Government’s request to freeze council tax for the past few years.

We residents are now paying more each year for an increasingly unsatisfactory service.

Roger Clark, Hillside, Portslade

Portslade and its residents can be forgiven for feeling that they are the poor neighbours of Brighton and Hove when you look at the disgracefully overgrown state of our grass verges.

Numerous people have contacted the council, only to be given various excuses as to why this work is not being carried out in a timely and adequate fashion.

Surely, the council should have a plan B and C to put into place if its normal plans are not able to be carried out.

Portslade folk pay their council tax the same as all other residents of the city and the least they should expect is for the basics to be carried out in a time and effectively manner.

Or maybe it’s a cunning plan by the Greens to cover Portslade with extra flora, fauna and wildlife?

Peter Atkinson, Labour candidate for North Portslade ward

I have written in the past to the Letters pages of The Argus about the verges in this area of the city, which seem to be left to grow until someone complains.

It is now some ten weeks since the council last cut a blade of grass out here.

When challenged about it, a council spokesperson’s reply was, “We will cut the grass as soon we are able to.”

There are no prizes for guessing what they told me when I told them I would pay my council tax “as soon as I was able to”...

Dave Bonwick, Graham Crescent, Portslade