GRASS on Derby highway verges that was allowed to grow longer than usual to save cash will not be cleared away now it has been cut, the city council has said.
An official made the comments after Conservative councillor for Mickleover, Alison Holmes, said residents had told her the verges still looked a mess after being mowed.
Council leader Ranjit Banwait says he wants the number of times highway verges are mowed returned to previous levels, but that "something else" will need to take a hit to save cash.
Mrs Holmes said the verges had been the main issue residents had brought up with her since she was elected last month.
She said: "First was when they were going to be cut and second was what would happen to the piles of grass.
"It looks awful, especially when it's next to grass that a resident has cut themselves."
David Bartram, the council's head of highways and grounds maintenance, said: "In Derby we have always mowed our grassed areas using cut and drop methods and do not collect grass cuttings for composting.
"This is because of the presence of contamination in some areas from litter, glass, dog fouling and occasionally drug-related paraphernalia.
"This means we are unable to use our normal green waste recycling methods and the material would have to be sent to landfill,'' added Mr Bartram.
