'Hedge in middle of road' Laois complaint over Coillte not trimming roadside growth

Coillte has been accused of causing road hazards in Laois because they are not trimming hedges.

Laois County Council has agreed to ask the national forestry semi-state company to discuss hedge cutting maintenance on boundaries along public Laois roads.

It comes on foot of a motion tabled by Fine Gael Cllr Barry Walsh of the Portlaoise Municipal District, to their recent monthly meeting.

Cllr Walsh says he got no satisfaction from the last request he made in a motion over two years ago, reporting "no noticeable improvement or action".

He is now asking the council to request an annual hedge cutting maintenance plan for all lands with road frontage from Coillte, in both the Portlaoise MD and across county Laois.

"Specifically regular hedge cutting notices have been issued in the Graiguenahowan Spink area which cause a potentially hazardous situation for road traffic and remain unkept and dangerous currently," his motion read.

The Portlaoise MD engineer Wes Wilkinson commented to him that it might be a situation where there are private boundaries with a landowner.

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Cllr Walsh replied "there is definitely some of Coillte land not done. The hedge is out in the middle of the road. It is causing a traffic hazard. They have land on the bottom of a hill and there is water on the road. They are not responding is my issue. With land comes responsibility," he said.

Cllr John Joe Fennelly had seconded the motion.

"I thought that issue was resolved but obviously not," he said.