Fife Council has been urged to speed up the procedures for trimming obstructive hedges and bushes.

The call came from Conner Young and Dave Dempsey, who are South and West Fife Conservative councillors.

Councillor Dempsey said: “The present set-up waits till someone complains. The Council then writes a polite letter to the householder asking them to cut back the encroaching vegetation.

"If that doesn’t work, the Council then writes a formal letter, citing the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 and giving the recipient 21 days to comply.

Dunfermline Press:

"As a last resort, the Council does the work and charges the owner. All that takes months.

"The hedge or bushes do get cut back by the autumn but next spring it all starts again. The public are fed up with this and so are we.”

Councillor Young said the process is "tediously long" and does not offer a permanent solution to the issue.

He said: "Furthermore, it does nothing to help, for example, people like me with sight issues who wouldn't necessarily be aware of an out of control hedge which could prove very dangerous indeed.

"Surely there must be a simple solution to this potentially dangerous issue. The council needs to act now.”

Councillor Dempsey said they are discussing with the council about what can be done, such as dropping the first letter for repeat offenders.