RENFREWSHIRE Council bosses have been accused of kicking plans to tidy up public green areas into the long grass.

The SNP administration has been accused of “stalling” in returning “naturalised” areas to the grass cutting programme.

On May 3 it was agreed at a full council meeting to reinstate naturalised areas into a regular maintenance schedule.

However, Paisley East and Central Labour councillor Carolann Davidson claims the move is being “put off” to avoid spending money.

She says this is leaving residents on streets such as Marnock Terrace and Glenshira Avenue to deal with “eyesore” levels of unkempt grass.

Councillor Davidson said: “Those houses look out on an embankment which has not been cut in about six years. Litter gets trapped in it and there’s rats.

“Children slide down it and you can’t see them because the grass is so long.

“They’re stalling, stalling and stalling. And if they stall enough, it will be the end of the grass cutting season.

“They’re putting it off and meanwhile these people are looking out their windows to a total eyesore.”

Paisley East and Central SNP councillor Will Mylet hit back at councillor Davidson’s claims, describing them as “hypocrisy”.

He said: “Marnock Terrace is one that the community council in Hunterhill had complained about.

“It was actually councillor Eddie Devine when he was convener of the environment board that said it wasn’t going back into the grass cutting programme.

“What we have said is we will look at the whole thing and there may be some areas that need to be looked at.

“It’s a bit of hypocrisy coming from her.”

However, Labour group leader Mr Devine, who was a convener of the environment policy board between December 2012 and May 2017, said Councillor Mylett was “talking nonsense”.

He said: “The naturalisation actually came in the 2011-12 budget, which was the last budget that the SNP had before we came in during 2012.”

Councillor Mylet said the council was now in the process of reviewing which areas need to be reintroduced into a programme of frequent cutting, reaffirming that the motion did not mention particular areas.

He added: “It’s something we’re certainly looking at. We will look at it across the whole of Renfrewshire and it will go to the environment policy board.

“The motion didn’t specifically mention Marnock Terrace, it didn’t look into the specifics. Whether Marnock Terrace is going to be considered I can’t honestly say.

“All I would like to say is if people do have issues in my area, my door is always open and they should come and speak to me.”

Councillor Cathy McEwan, current convener of infrastructure, land and environment, said: “This is another case of opposition councillors attempting to mislead local people.

“As agreed at full council, a review on the naturalised areas is currently being undertaken and this will determine which areas can be brought back into the grass cutting programme immediately and those which will require more attention.”

Meanwhile, Renfrewshire Council confirmed it is currently reviewing which areas will be reinstated into a regular grass cutting programme.

A spokeswoman said: “On May 3, the council agreed to review the maintenance of naturalised grassed areas, with a view to reinstating naturalised areas into a regular grass cutting schedule.

“That review is currently being undertaken.”