PENSIONERS have become so disgusted with the state of their overgrown gardens they have formed a group to clear up the mess.

Residents living in the warden-controlled flats in North Place, Headington, Oxford, are now regularly clearing garden waste from outside their retirement accommodation – a job that should be carried out by Oxford City Council, which runs the flats.

Fred Hill, 85, who is one of the 31 residents at the flats, was so frustrated with the piles of leaves and mounds of rotting grass that lay outside his home for months, he took matters into his own hands and cleared them up.

Now he has a regular gang of ‘Green Guerillas’ to help him.

Mr Hill, who said he had been looking for a well-earned rest at North Place after retiring at the age of 81, now regularly clears the path and grounds outside his home, helped by other elderly residents, among them 76 year-old Vi Cox and Marian Dodge, 81.

Mr Hill, a former caretaker, said: “When we had the bad weather in February, the paths were very dangerous with all the leaves lying around. But nobody wants to know, they just pass the buck.

“One of the women who helps me is about 80, has a pacemaker and suffers badly from asthma.

“It makes me very angry she feels she has to do it herself just because she doesn’t want to live with the mess.”

The city council said the responsibility for cleaning the area was divided between their parks and homes department.

A spokesman added: “We will be sending a parks officer to North Place to ascertain if there is an issue.

“If there is we will deal with it immediately.

“Our estates manager visits the site every couple of weeks and speaks to residents while he is there.”

Mr Hill added: “I don’t think I have ever seen our estate manager and we have been clearing things up so it will be tidy if they come and have a look.

“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind helping out, but I don’t have all the right tools and the work gives me a backache.

“We pay good money for someone to look after the grounds, so why should it all be down to us?

“It makes me very annoyed.”

awilliams@oxfordmail.co.uk