AN innovative scheme to turn West Somerset's increasingly overgrown grass verges into wildflower havens could provide a cheap solution to long-term maintenance costs.

Communities across the district have reacted with fury in recent weeks after it emerged that large swathes of land are likely to be left uncut as cash-strapped councils struggle to balance their books.

Now one councillor has come up with an idea that he believes could provide the perfect answer.

Alec Chick, who represents the Dunster and Timberscombe ward on West Somerset Council, has been in talks with a Wiltshire-based seed specialist for the past six weeks about planting the verges with wildflower seeds.

And this week he heard he had won the support of Somerset County Council - which owns much of the land at the centre of recent controversy.

Work is expected to start shortly on a test area - the verges bordering the A39 between the Ellicombe roundabout on the outskirts of Minehead and the Dunster Steep traffic lights.

"There has been a lot of talk recently about the state of the verges and obvious concern about the future," said Cllr Chick.

"My worry is that they will just turn to scrubland if something is not done."

The scheme would involve cutting the grass right down before the land is rotivated.

The seed base would then be allowed to germinate before weedkiller is applied to clean the soil, after which the wildflower seeds would be planted.

"People will have to accept that they won't see the full results until next summer," said Cllr Chick.

"And during part of the process, at least, they are going to see dug up verges.

"But I believe the final result will be very attractive - and the bonus is that the verges would then only need to be cut twice a year."

Cllr Chick said in the long-term he hoped to get the district council "on board" and in the shorter term, town and parish councils across the district.

"The county council is offering to give away many of these small areas of land that it cannot afford to maintain and is also saying that it could provide the cost of a mower or strimmer as an incentive.

"I'm hoping instead that any cash on offer could go to implementing this scheme across the district."

Cllr Chick said the exact cost of the work on the test area was unknown but that the county council had agreed to fund it.

County council cabinet member for highways and human resources Cllr Harvey Siggs said: "We welcome this suggestion from the Dunster and Timberscombe councillor as we would certainly like to take it up.

"Wouldn't it be nice if our road verges were an oasis of wildflowers and a haven for butterflies and bees?"

Free Press readers have also been airing their views on claims that the current state of the verges and other overgrown areas is turning Minehead, in particular, into a tatty town.

In a letter to the paper, local resident Ros Robinson welcomed the plethora of plants sprouting up, from daisies and pink campion to cow parsley and wild angelica.

"Seaward Way is positively swaying with colourful wildflowers," she said.

"And a stretch of the Porlock Road also was, until some jobsworth came along and slashed the cow parsley to the ground, not even clearing it up."

Ms Robinson's view was echoed by fellow Minehead resident Tilla Brading, who said she welcomed the verges being allowed to flower naturally, providing a natural habitat for insects, butterflies and small mammals.

However, the weedy problem of the district's creeping verges has even become the focus of a new website, http://www.ismineheadtatty.yolasite.com">www.ismineheadtatty.yolasite.com.

Set up by Minehead town councillor and B&B owner Stephen Grice, the website features photographs of overgrown verges around the town and asks: "Are we proud of our town? Or, is it starting to look tatty?"

Accompanying photos of long grass, broken street lights and weedy verges, Cllr Grice asks: "Does this look like we are ready for a summer season?

"How do we get Minehead looking great again?"

He said he was well aware local authorities were facing drastic budget cuts but said Minehead relied on tourism and had to look welcoming to visitors.

But he was concerned people would be put off for good by the state of uncut grassed areas alongside main roads and weed-infested pavements.

Cllr Grice told the Free Press: "People go on holiday to get away from things and I'd be really disappointed if I came here at the moment and was greeted by this.

"There are 25 lamps on the promenade that are not working, a number of empty shops in The Avenue and now we have all these overgrown verges and green areas.

"It just worries me that people will start to accept it as the norm.

"They shouldn't. Keeping the place tidy should be basic stuff for a seaside town and we need to get our community pride back."

Cllr Grice is calling for people to register via the website to offer their help to keep Minehead tidy - as well as giving them the opportunity to send in their own photos of unkempt and unsightly public areas in the hope of shaming someone in authority to take action.