WHILE walking round our beautiful city on a few occasions recently, I have noticed just how many green areas are not being maintained by the council and are being allowed to go to rack and ruin.

It only takes a walk past any section of our Bar Walls to witness how unkempt the grass banking is, highly overgrown and full of weeds. The flatter areas are being cut, but the cuttings are not collected and none of the slopes have been cut.

The Racecourse grassed area adjacent to the railings along Tadcaster Road between Racecourse Road and the Marriott Hotel looks like a wild jungle, the now unused bowling green in Clarence Gardens has been cut but the cuttings not collected.

And just look along many roadside gutters in suburban residential streets in areas such as the Groves – the gutters are full of weeds, silt and litter; walk into town along Clarence Street and there are significant amount of weeds growing along the front of the parade of shops.

We are expecting thousands of visitors to flock into our city this weekend. The council has managed to produce many “yellow bikes” and bunting all over the city (which looks great), yet it would appear the fundamental task of maintaining grassed open areas and roadside gutters is beyond them.

Andy Knowles, Vyner Street, York.