When is the grass too long?

Slashing contractor Derek Wendt is annoyed that Bundaberg Regional Council will not give him specific guidelines on when a block is overgrown.

Max Fleet

WHEN is the grass on a block of land too long, and when is it an acceptable length?

Derek Wendt says he does not know, and since he is a professional slashing contractor this is a real worry for him.

And the other problem is he says he cannot get any clear guidelines from Bundaberg Regional Council so he knows when to slash his clients’ blocks and when it is okay to leave them alone.

Mr Wendt said several of his customers had received clean-up notices from the council stating the grass on their blocks was too tall, and directing that it should be slashed within 21 days.

But Mr Wendt said he disputed the contention the grass was too long on some of the blocks, and on at least one he had slashed it only days before.

But when he asked the council for specific guidelines on when a block was overgrown they were not able to tell him.

“All I’m after is a set of rules to live by,” he said.

“One block they put a notice on, the grass was only 15cm high.”

Mr Wendt has become so frustrated he even put in a submission to the State Ombudsman, but received a reply stating he was unable to help.

He is also angry the pavements and parks on the Elliott Heads foreshore, which are under the council’s control, have long grass on them.

“Their excuse is it’s too wet to mow, but they’re sending out notices to my clients,” he said.

“It’s one rule for them and a different rule for others.”

The NewsMail first contacted the council over the matter on Tuesday, but has been unable to get a comment.

However, in a letter to Mr Wendt, health and environmental services director Greg Savage said the council was bound to operate under local laws of the four former councils, and each had different operational programs.

It stated the level for serving a notice was considered to be about 90cm in height.