An investigation into why Leicestershire County Council struggled to properly cut its grass verges and footpaths this summer has been launched.

An environment scrutiny panel met this week to examine the reasons behind the problem and issue recommendations to prevent a repeat of the situation.

Contractor Tarmac took over grass cutting in the county in March, as part of a number of services, but has struggled to provide a good service, with some areas becoming overgrown.

Matthew Lugg, director of highways for Leicestershire County Council, said: ‘The contract was awarded and it was fine. There may have been some issues regarding knowledge transfer as it’s a new contractor, but it is climate change that has had the real impact.’

Lugg believes the extra grass growth this year has been caused by a rise in temperature and extra rainfall, and argues that the traditional approach to grass cutting may need to be reviewed.

‘The situation we have in Leicestershire is similar to what is happening across the country,’ he said. ‘The impact of climate change is having an affect on traditional grass-cutting services and that means we need to be more flexible around the resources we provide the service.’

The scrutiny panel will present its findings to the county council cabinet in October.