My garden has been ruined by council – I spend £162 a year but grass is so overgrown I can’t visit wife’s memorial

An angry pensioner says his council made the grass in his garden so overgrown that he can’t visit his wife’s memorial.

Bert Clements, 81, from Brotton near Middlesbrough, is paying £162 to have professionals tend the garden at his community center after arthritis and back problems prevented him from doing it himself.

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But the great-grandfather, who has lived in the house for over thirty years, was devastated when the gardeners stopped showing up in March.

The grass grew so long and thick that the frail OAP could not reach the memorial garden he had planted in honor of his late wife, Janice, or even see it from his window.

Overgrown hedges now cover his front door, gate and windows, blocking the sunlight.

Bert told TeessideLive: “It’s getting closer and closer to me. My memorial garden is now so overgrown that I can’t even get there.”

“I used to just dig this up myself and keep it tidy with flowers and so nice.

“But you can’t get there now because the grass is so long.

“I can hardly get through the front gate now.”

He spent months chasing after the gardeners who came and mowed the grass – before eventually demanding a £60 refund.

But Bert said he felt “fated” when Beyond Housing told him the refund wasn’t possible.

Now he has to go to his daughter Pam’s house every day to enjoy the summer in the garden.

Beyond Housing said, “We sincerely apologize for the green space maintenance delays this year, which have been unacceptable.”

“We are working with contractors to ensure Mr Clements’ garden is tended to as quickly as possible.”

This comes after a gardening expert told you how to properly mow your lawn this summer.

A range of garden-themed condoms have been launched to encourage OAPs to practice safe sex.

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