A PAIR of bemused Carlton pensioners returned from holiday to find patches of grass on either side of their street cut at completely different lengths.
Bill, 65, and Sylvia Fenton, 67, of Shelford Road, Carlton, were baffled when they were told it was because one side of the road, at the junction with County Road, is managed by Notts County Council while the other is looked after by Gedling Borough Council.
A month later, the 75-square-metre space outside the Fentons' house has been left to grow up to 12 inches long while the other side has been cut again.
"It feels like it's not on their list of things to do," said Bill. "We just don't feel like we're getting the service we pay for. I drove through Burton Joyce yesterday and all the patches of grass look like billiard tables."
Mr Fenton added: "At first we thought that this may have been an oversight but, to our astonishment, the lower grass has been cut again. It's a small job that wouldn't take much effort, so I don't know why they can't just talk to each other and arrange Gedling to do this extra patch."
The grass patches lie opposite Stanhope Primary School, where the county council maintains the grass fields.
Both councils said grass is cut purely for safety reasons, not to make the surrounding area look nice.
Gedling Borough Council cuts its grass areas 14 times a season, between March and October, compared to Notts County Council, which cuts five times between April and September.
Dave Walker, the county council's district highways manager for Gedling, said: "The county council is responsible for cutting more than 5,000 kilometres of grass verge right across the county. There was a delay starting this year due to bad weather which, unfortunately, also helps the grass to grow that bit quicker."
He added: "We are just coming to the end of the first cut so all areas, including Shelford Road, should have been cut by now."
The county council also added that cost plays a part in the number of times grass is trimmed and that grass grows at varying speeds in different areas, depending on the soil.
Erin McDaid, of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, said: "We would like to see the grass longer in areas where there is potential for a wildlife habitat."
He added that the cost of could potentially be offset by savings in mowing costs.
