Mr Angry from *********

Imagine my suprise when my local council sent me a letter threatening me because my hedge was over hanging the pavement, thus obstructing pedestrians?
Now I know this comes across as a Daily Mail reader style despatch, but really; the unadulterated cheek!
here's what I sent them

Dear Mr ********

Re: Letter dated 14th January 2010

Thank you for your letter. As an ********resident It would have been nice to have had the letter addressed to me personally rather than Owner/Occupier, never the less, I note with great interest that an inspection has been carried out recently in ******** Road.

I wonder what action is going to be taken about the other issues that I assume your inspector/s have had their attention drawn to. For example,

• The large amount of pot holes in ********Road
• The regular dumping of rubbish in *********Road
• The street drinkers that congregate at the junction of ********* Road and *********Road.
• The Street drinkers and drug users that accumulate at the junction of ********Road and ********Road.
• The noise pollution at night in **********Road.
• The abundance of litter in *********Road that goes uncollected.
• The infestation of Squirrels in and around *********Road.

The implied threat in your letter is not appreciated in view of the other issues that one would view as somewhat more hazardous to members of the public and residents.

I trust that when I find the time to cutback the overhanging hedge/shrubs and arrange for a collection of the cuttings, that *******council will remove all the cuttings and not leave half the bags behind, as they have done in the past.

I would appreciate it if you could inform me what action is planned regarding the issues that I have raised in this letter. As an *********resident I am concerned by the Council’s priorities in making the borough a safer and more pleasant place to live.

Yours truly,

....A timid response arrived shortly after.