MINEHEAD Chamber of Trade chairman Graham Sizer did not so much go 'over the hedge' but more along a bit and up and down it when he grabbed his gardening shears in an act of blatant community spirit. Fed up with an overgrown hedge bordering St Andrew's Church and nearby Wellington Square he took up the gauntlet, or rather the gardening implement, to cut the untidy foliage himself. He spent more than three hours cutting the hedge on Thursday evening to ensure everything was green and tidy for the start of the main tourist season at the weekend. But his actions were intended to do more than just improve the appearance of the area - Mr Sizer said he had also been keen to send out a message to civic leaders to ensure the hedge was kept in check in the future. He said: "There has been a dispute over who should maintain the pavement side of the hedge for years but with a flower festival about to open at the church, the area surrounding the pavement was not a good advertisement - years of moss, weeds and ivy. "The holiday high season was also only two days away and what a message that would have sent out, only ten metres away from Minehead's central square." He said he had been told the row dated back some 50 years, when the church gave part of its land for the creation of a pavement. He said the church had asked for the hedge on the pavement side to be maintained in return for the land gift, but as there did not appear to be any written agreement, the maintenance was not always done. Mr Sizer said he firmly believed a town manager should have been appointed "years ago" to ensure such matters were dealt with effectively - and also criticised the state of the "rusty" bollards in the adjoining Wellington Square. "Perhaps I'll have to go down there again this weekend with a pot of paint if someone cannot be found to do the job now and not in four months' time," Mr Sizer said. But at least the hedge saga appears to have had a happy ending after the Free Press contacted Minehead Town Council clerk Sue Sanders. She said the town council had agreed to cut the disputed hedge last year on an as and when needed basis but no one had asked for the work do be done. She said: "Even though it isn't in our remit to do it, we were asked last year if we would cut it but nobody has asked us. "We would be only too glad to trim it and if someone can give us a little notice in the future we will gladly fit it in with our programme of work." And having put his gardening shears back in the shed, Mr Sizer was clearly pleased his green-fingers might not be called on again. He said: "It seems what appeared to be an intractable problem has been officially resolved by Sue with your help. Well done Free Press!" Photo: Steve Guscott.
