Have you noticed all the dying, brown grass areas along our roadsides in north Essex wherever there is a road sign or lamp-post?

It would seem it is the Conservative-dominated Essex County Council’s policy to use industrial-scale weed killer along our verges, instead of strimming the grass, presumably to cut costs.

But at what cost to the environment? A report out this week and published on the Braintree Times website on Monday says 17 species of bee are now extinct in East Anglia.

Essex County Council’s policy to use deadly chemicals on our grass verges won’t help the bees.

If the weed killers Essex County Council uses contains the carcinogen glyphosate, this is also dangerous for the workers spraying it, passersby, pets and of course wildlife.

Instead of a quick fix that harms the environment, Essex County Council should go back to old-fashioned methods - such as cutting the grass manually, not using chemical attack.

Paul Thorogood

Green Party district councillor for Kelvedon and Feering