A Waterside resident who uses a mobility scooter has called for action over overgrown trees and hedges causing a hazard along a busy pathway frequented by local people.

Shelly McAleer said numerous different public bodies have told her they are not responsible for maintaining the overgrown hedges along the route in the Lisnagelvin area of the city.

The laneway runs behind the Lisnagelvin Jobs and Benefits office and is used by residents across a large part of the Waterside to access different housing areas, shops and retail parks, Altnagelvin Hospital and also to access pathways leading to the city centre.

Clondermot Park resident Shelly told the Journal how she uses the route every day but the overgrown hedges were posing a danger to herself and others, and had already caused damage to the canopy roof of her scooter.

Shelly McAleer has warned that the overgrown vegetation is causing a hazard.

placeholder image — Shelly McAleer has warned that the overgrown vegetation is causing a hazard.

Shelly explained that she needs the mobility scooter and crutches to get about, having been diagnosed with scoliosis of the spine, trapped nerves, arthritis and slipped discs.

"It's just so overgrown this year and in the warm weather I have the canopy sides back and it would take the arm clean off you," she said. “You are getting your arms scratched, I'm terrified for my eyes, plus the top of the canopy is all scratched and scraped. It's coming right over the fence. I have to be very, very careful on the scooter because it's a blind-spot, in case somebody is coming from the other side that I don't run into them. It's that overgrown.

"A lot of people going by when I stop with the mobility scooter to let them past scold and give off about the state of it. It is dangerous. It's without a doubt a health and safety matter. If other people are walking past they have to hold it back to get past it and it springs back on you then. And you have a lot of people with disabilities going down there, people with prams, people on bikes."

Shelly hopes that by highlighting the issue whoever is responsible for maintaining the vegetation growth will take action. "Under the Equality Act, I have the right to a clear passageway, everyone has that right, and it's up to the landlord or whoever owns that land to maintain that properly,” she said, while also detailing how she has hit dead end after dead end while trying to find out who that might be.

The overgrown trees and shrubs are creating blind spots along the route.

"Nobody is taking responsibility for this. I phoned Derry City & Strabane District Council, nothing to do with them. I phoned Waterside Job Market, nothing to do with them. I contacted the Department for Infrastructure Roads Service, and they said as far as they were aware nothing to do with them either. But somebody planted them and somebody needs to take responsibility. It's very busy, it takes you to different houses, to Tesco, to Altnagelvin Hospital. It was always maintained until recently and it’s now causing a hazard so they just need to cut it back,” she added.