A PARTIALLY-sighted pensioner has thanked The Gazette after her housing association finally cut her “hazardous” garden lawns.

Claudia Rice, who celebrated her 65th birthday on Tuesday, contacted The Gazette to tell of her year-long wait for her lawn to be cut so she could sit outside without fear of having an accident.

The Haydn Road resident initially contacted housing association Sovereign in September 2015 to ask for her front and back gardens to be trimmed back so she could safely leave her house and enjoy the sunshine with a cup of tea in them.

Last week The Gazette contacted Sovereign about Mrs Rice’s wait and they have now sent round a professional gardener to cut back the foliage.

“I wonder if The Gazette hadn’t got involved whether this would have been resolved,” Mrs Rice said.

“The garden looks good – they have cleared up the weeds and the patio and the ant hills that I discovered last week. So they have done what they said they were going to. I managed to get out it’s just a shame about the weather at the moment but I am pleased to have my gardens back.”

Last year Mrs Rice had a stroke and she suffers from partial vision loss, so must use a walking stick to support herself as she walks around.

When Mrs Rice leaves her house via the front door she needs to have someone present to support her.

Despite her gardens now looking good and being hazard free, she remains frustrated at how long it took Sovereign to resolve the problem. 

“They were last cut back in May, so it’s over a year,” Mrs Rice continued.

“For me this isn’t over and I won’t be withdrawing my complaint against them but at least I have my garden back.

“It will be nice to have friends over again and be able to sit outside with them and enjoy a bit of sun.”

A spokesperson for Sovereign said: “We’re sorry for the delay in visiting and maintaining Mrs Rice’s garden, which was the result of a delay caused by a changeover of contractors working for us in the area. 

“We visited Mrs Rice’s home this week to cut the lawn and tidy up the gardens for her, and we hope she’s happy with the work.”