A HOUSING provider has released an updated statement on their ongoing grounds maintenance issues in Corbridge and Prudhoe.

County Councillor Gordon Stewart, who represents Prudhoe South and is the Deputy Cabinet member for Community Services at Northumberland County Council, said: "This issue is causing a lot of concern to residents, and detracts from the look of the area.

"Karbon Homes representatives have fully explained the difficulties to us that they have encountered with their contractor and have put measures in place to try and catch up on the work that needs doing.

"It is a totally unacceptable situation and will take some time for them to be in synchronisation with the schedule of regular maintenance," he said.

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The housing provider originally issued a statement at the end of May, which said: "By week commencing June 6, the two-week grass cutting cycle will be maintained in the affected areas."

However, the grass in these areas is still untended.

Residents stated the uncut grass was inconveniencing older members of the community, who were unable to access their local green spaces.

However, others said allowing the grass to grow would benefit local biodiversity.

Corbridge Councillor Nick Oliver said: "I'm hoping that Karbon Homes will get this situation back on track as soon as possible.

"It's clear from our meeting with one of their directors last week that they are taking it very seriously and doing all they can. They are writing to all affected customers and have promised regular updates which I will share with Corbridge residents."

Kelly Taylor, assistant director of housing at Karbon Homes, said: "We're sorry for the continuing delays to our grass cutting schedule in Prudhoe and Corbridge. We're working closely with our grounds maintenance contractor in the area to get this sorted out."

"The delays were a result of our contractor struggling with labour and equipment shortages. Although this has now been resolved, it is taking them longer than expected to catch up on all delayed work but we expect to see improvements in the next few weeks.

"We apologise again for any inconvenience this has caused local residents. We will be monitoring the areas closely to ensure they get back on track quickly and are well maintained throughout the summer," she said.