A PENSIONER claims maintenance work has been kicked into the long grass after being surrounded by four feet of overgrown plantlife around his Greenock home.

Alex McAlees, 74, says he hasn’t seen a lawnmower near his Belville Avenue property for at least a year, leaving him and his neighbours knee-deep in plants and vegetation.

The OAP owns his property but the land next to it, formerly occupied by tenement blocks, is the responsibility of housing association River Clyde Homes (RCH), who have now vowed to step in and tend to the overgrown grassland.

Mr McAlees, pictured with his dog Max, said: “It’s a mess.

“When the dog goes in he gets lost.

“The fence is four feet high and that’s where the grass is up to.

“It’s not been cut in well over a year.

“I’ve had to dig my own plants out and move them elsewhere because of it.”

Mr McAlees says the back garden, which is shared by a social housing tenant next door, has also been left to grow out of control.

RCH bosses say that is not their responsibility — but staff will be out to trim the grass and plants next to his home.

John Watson, grounds maintenance manager at River Clyde Property Management, said: “The area behind Mr McAlees’ property does belong to River Clyde Homes.

“Our operatives had a problem with access to the site, but I have visited the ground and can confirm that the area will be cut back.”

Neighbours on the opposite side of the road have also complained about similar conditions with a public pathway sandwiched between the rear of their properties and those on Bawhirley Road.

Mr Watson said: “The area around the path was unfortunately overlooked by one of the teams and again I can confirm that it will be cut back to provide access to the path.

“We are currently on target to have everything cut back and on a three-weekly maintenance cycle by the end of July, as we said to customers we would.”