20 November 2020

Residents urged to mow or slash grass now – before it's too late

| Sharon Kelley
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Long, wild grass on vacant block.

Long grass can present serious bushfire risk, as well as provide a home for snakes. Photo: File.

Goulburn Mulwaree Council has called on residents to prepare vacant land for the summer ahead by slashing or mowing long grass now while it is still green. Long grass, once dried from the summer heat, increases the risk of grassfires and can provide a home for vermin and snakes.

Unusually high rainfall throughout winter and spring has caused enormous growth in grass and weeds around the region, with vacant blocks in residential areas causing some concern.

“We are asking our residents and owners of residential blocks to get on top of this issue now before the grass begins to brown off in the coming weeks,” said Goulburn Mulwaree Council Mayor Bob Kirk.

“It has been great to have so much rain during the past few months, but this has caused a lot of growth and we need to prepare accordingly prior to summer. We cannot be complacent; in just a few weeks the heat will be here and it may be too late to mow or slash some of these areas due to bushfire risk.”

Council has already issued 148 letters in regards to overgrown property during the past month, and it will be issuing further notices to owners of vacant land to strongly encourage them to prepare their land accordingly for summer.

If these notices are ignored, a draft order will be issued which may then result in an infringement notice and penalty of $330 for residents and landowners.

The Bushfire Danger Period in NSW commences on 1 October each year, and a total fire ban is already in place for Goulburn Mulwaree.

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