Wildlife haven plan kicked into the long grass

ALAN German pointed out that Plymouth Council wants to turn its roadside verges into wildlife havens (The Yorkshire Post, April 28).

Humberside County Council adopted this practice in 1994. Marker posts were installed on over 50 species-rich roadsides which were mown in 
autumn and the aftermath removed.

The succeeding East Riding authority neglected them until 2006 when regular conservation began again.

A few iconic habitats had survived indiscriminate mowing by landowners, grazing by travellers’ ponies and heedless digging and dumping by public utilities.

The project officer and most, if not all of his local wardens have now disappeared, together with highway support so all the results of voluntary labour, taxpayer contributions and grants have been kicked into 
the long grass.

There should be an independent comparison of current verge conservation across all of Yorkshire.

We have a right to know 
the scale of the potential 
loss of flora and fauna and 
it is no good asking the 
culprit councils to mark 
their own biodiversity homework.