Weeds are a menace. They despoil our surroundings with their troublesome, aggressive growth. They destroy native plants and harbour insects. They are unsightly, potentially harmful to health and create a fire hazard.
They are also difficult to control.
Fed up with the problem, some residents recently wrote to Barrhead Town Council requesting action.
In their letters they ask the Town to help remove dandelions, thistles, chamomile and tansy plants on land between Brookside Village and the Emergency Response Centre/Neighbourhood Inn. They say the life cycle of these weeds is harming their lawns, while dry plants are a fire hazard and blowing seeds are affecting their health.
The Town has now pledged to get tough on offenders, fire off letters and start issuing fines. It is particularly concerned by the problem of unkempt vacant lots.
While it is right to sympathize with those who suffer the consequences of other people’s neglect, and for everyone to deplore seemingly ubiquitous weed patches, the problem should not be overblown and allowed to become a source of division in neighbourhoods.
We should realize that sometimes the solution could be just a door knock or telephone call away. Before complaining to the council or the Community Peace Officer people should check in on a neighbour with an untidy yard.
There may very well be a good reason why he or she can’t mow the lawn or remove weeds. He may be feeling poorly. He may have some disability. He may not feel physically up to the task. He may be out of town a lot and complain about not having time. In which case, perhaps a polite suggestion could be made that he hire a private company to carry out routine yard work.
Barrhead has always prided itself on its neighbourliness, on the way it cares for those facing difficulties. The vast majority of its citizens are responsible, kindly and willing to listen to reason.
We don’t want to become a society where government becomes too intrusive. Where neighbour complains about neighbour. Fines should only be a last resort.
Finally, 75-year-old Mazie Moebes has some good news about her power bills. About 16 months after she gave Direct Energy her wrong house number and started paying someone else’s bills, her ordeal seems to be coming to an end. Last week Direct Energy said Mazie would recover all the money she paid for those misdirected bills.
For Mazie, the promise of being credited 100 per cent must sound like being told she has won a jackpot. In truth, she is only getting back what was hers.
When the Leader contacted Direct Energy last week, the corporate mask seem to slip from the company spokespersons. They displayed a compassion and humanity that is too often absent from those whose lives are shaped by rules, regulations and protocol. Sometimes the rulebook should be replaced by human decency.
Maizie made a small, honest mistake. It should not have cost her so much anguish, let alone money.
The company said it would be reviewing procedures to ensure no other senior endures what Mazie experienced.
We can only applaud Direct Energy. And to Mazie we say: we share your relief and joy.
