A weed-infested Angus town has been likened to a “Wild West” eyesore.
Angus Council failed to appoint a weed control contractor during the latest tendering process and over the last few months Arbroath residents have begun to notice the effects.
Councillor Bob Spink has now called for action from the authority after fielding complaints from constituents about weeds and grass splitting the pavements.
West Port and Keptie Street have come in for criticism, as has the pedestrian precinct in the town centre and the slabs beside the benches at the Old Church.
Mr Spink said the state of some of Arbroath’s busiest footways would be likely to put visitors off coming to the town.
He added: “I have had a number of constituent complaints on the amount of grass and weeds becoming evident on the streets of Arbroath. This prompted me to take a look around and I have to say these complaints were justified.
“The steeple of the Old Church and the surrounds and actual building of the old Odins nightclub on the West Port are a disgrace and an absolute eyesore. A look up Keptie Street reinforced my opinion that this problem is likely to be just as bad in other parts of the town.
“I am reminded of the towns depicted in Wild West movies and all we need is some tumbleweed to complete the sad picture. Surely this is not the way we wish our town to look?”
Mr Spink pledged to take the matter up with the director of neighbourhood services and urged the council to address the problem before the holiday season gets into full swing.
“This paints a very poor picture of Arbroath to visitors and locals alike,” he said. “Of course I am aware of tight budgets, but this is not a mammoth problem to address and I would respectfully ask homeowners and businesses to help us by having a look outside their own property and if necessary do a bit of weed pulling.”
A spokesman for Angus Council said a recent tendering exercise to procure a weed control contractor for Angus had been unsuccessful.
She added: “We are currently considering alternative means of procuring the service and hope to have a contractor in place shortly. We will remove any problem weeds meantime.”