THE thorny issue of whose responsibility it is to trim back briars and bushes encroaching onto smaller country roads reared it’s head at Friday’s meeting of Connemara Area councillors.

According to councillors at their meeting in County Hall, there was ‘serious confusion’ over which roads were being trimmed back by the Council  with clarity needed by people living in the affected areas.

Cathaoirleach of the Connemara Area councillors, Noel Thomas (FF), said that last year they were told that many of the smaller ‘side-roads’ would not be cut.

“Then we were told that where there were school bus runs these roads would be cut but many of those buses travel on narrow roads.

“There are some public roads in Connemara which are almost closed in – at the very least we need to know which routes are being trimmed and which are not. We need some clarity on this,” said Cllr. Thomas.

He said that over the years, most councillors were spending their Notice of Motion financioal allocations to fund hedge trimming in their local areas. “Is the landowners who are responsible for this work or is it the Council,” asked Cllr. Thomas.

Pictured: Cllr. Noel Thomas: Clarity needed on trimming of road verges.