‘Chemicals choked my Chihuahua’ - Sandy residents speak out after weed killer scorches their grass verges

Grass verges in Sandy (Image: Archant)

Central Beds Council employs contractors to cut the grassy verges and common areas but many have been left looking decidedly brown this year where chemicals have been used to keep down the weeds.

One dog owner who lives in the town but does not wish to be named, says her 1½ year old Chihuahua/Jack Russell, Bazil, became ill because it was sniffing the chemicals around lamp posts and next to fences.

She said: “The dog is breathing in the dust because his nose is close to the ground.

“He got sick and I had to take him to the vets.

“Now when we go for a walk we have to find a place where he can go for a wee where there are no chemicals.

“It would be much better if they didn’t spray it with anything. We pay our rates for lawn mowing, not for killing the lawn.

“The chemicals get dissolved with rain water and find their way into our water and then eventually into your cup of tea.”

The devoted dog owner claims the council has been using a chemical called Metaldehyde, in streets throughout the town. She has written to the council in protest.

She has also spoken to members of Sandy town council about the issue.

Amateur environmentalist David Yendall, who also lives in Sandy, says the chemicals are destroying wild flowers and valuable habitats for insects and animals.

He said: “There is dead grass all over Sandy. If it’s done to limit the cost of strimming and mowing then they should be mowing far less often anyway as it just destroys valuable habitats and keeps down the flowers.

“These chemicals are not the kind of things we want to find their way into our water system.”

He said he has noticed the brown patches before but not as prominently as this year.

Central Bedfordshire Council’s press team was investigating the issue at the time of going to press and has promised to provide a full response to the allegations imminently.