IT IS not quite yet the Day of the Triffids but an out of control hedge is threatening to make a £278,000 cycle path too perilous to use, concerned residents say.

The bushes may not be taking the world, like in the 1960s movie, but they are close to taking over the road.

Though the greenery is not yet at the proportions of the film, it is enough to scare off those on two wheels, says one worried Marlow couple.

Carole Ketley, 62, and husband Tony Ketley, 64, retired, have warned transport bosses to take action before a serious accident occurs.

They told the Free Press that the stretch between the Wyvale Garden Centre and Winchbottom Lane, Little Marlow, is difficult and dangerous currently.

“It’s making it difficult for cyclists not to have to go in the road”, said Mrs Ketley, who contacted Buckinghamshire County Council on July 10 but was still awaiting action as of yesterday.

“I understand the hedge is not their responsibility, but it they provided the cycle path, it’s their responsibility to maintain.”

Mr Ketley said: “They could have found a little time to trim the hedge. It’s a simple remedy to avoid a potentially serious accident.”

Initially, the council told the Free Press that it was not its responsibility but then said the grass cutting is scheduled for Monday.

According to Transport for Buckinghamshire (TfB) spokesman Dan Green, the hedge in question, between the Marlow Garden Centre and the Winchbottom Lane, is privately owned, therefore, not TfB’s responsibility to maintain.

“But we have agreed to this as an extra this one time only”, he said.

The reasons behind this agreement between the council and private owners have not been disclosed. But, in response to the month long wait, Mr Green said: “It is quite a tight budget for grass cutting and with the area being busy we need to take traffic managers to the site.”

Mr Green advised people to use the correct channel when reporting a problem to TfB. In this case, the Service Information Centre, which is available online at www.buckscc.gov.uk.

Plans for grass cutting have been arranged for Monday, August 13, as part of the scheduled program in the area, although this did not show up on a previous search on the planning schedule, available online.

Road safety generally for cyclists in the UK is in the spotlight after one died in London following a collision with an Olympic bus, prompting a plea from gold medal winner Bradley Wiggins for a law to make all cyclists wear helmets.

Are you a cyclist who uses the track? Have overgrown hedges put you off? What do you think more generally about road safety for cyclists in the UK and Bradley Wiggins' comments about a law to make helmets compulsory? Leave your comments below.