HAVING written in the past about the constant cutting down of wild flowers and grasses on Knavesmire I feel compelled to write again.

Between mowings, a number of wild flowers and grasses were starting to reappear, including what I am reliably told are mini orchids along with a good spread of clover.

This brought back bees to feed, in particular on the clover.

And what does the council do? They send in a noisy polluting tractor and mowing machine to spend around three and a half days chopping it all down and removing the bees' food supply.

The strip of Knavesmire between Tadcaster Road and the racecourse was left un-mown. This was an ideal small refuge for any remaining wildlife, with natural paths having developed where people walk.

But now this too has been hacked down wherever they could get with their tractor. Why?

All this destructive mowing must be costing a fortune in council tax payers hard earned cash.

Do city councillors not realise that this is a Stray not a lawn and does not need mowing every few days?

Without the wild flowers and grasses there is negligible insect life, so little food for swifts, house martins, swallows and other insect-eating birds.

There are no seed heads for chaffinches, greenfinches etc and all other seed-eating birds.

There is no ground cover for dunnock, meadow pipit, skylarks, wagtails or any other ground-living birds.

All these bird species used to live on Knavesmire but sadly no longer because their habitat has been destroyed by City of York Council.

Colin Harbisher,

School Lane,

Bishopthorpe, York