Cuttings should be stored safely

Last week, I had to take my young spaniel to the vet as she had eaten a clump of old matted grass cuttings, making her very poorly, from Barrack Hill field in the Old Town.

As she seemed a little better on Friday, although still on antibiotics after two injections, I ventured up there again and was horrified to discover the grass had recently been cut, leaving a complete carpet of cuttings.

These will take weeks to either blow away or, worse still, form new germ-filled clumps, ripe for swallowing.

Years ago, machines collected all cuttings and these were emptied into a secure, fenced in area.

Surely this can be done again, thus avoiding upset to both humans and animals, as well as preventing an unsightly mess?