ELLENBROOK and Aveley residents are urging the City of Swan to ramp up maintenance, warning the public areas overgrown with thick weeds and long grass pose a major fire hazard as the region approaches summer.

Fed-up residents have taken to social media to voice their concerns over the unkempt state of verges and parks, arguing the neglect is unacceptable given their timely rate payments.

The City of Swan’s local biodiversity strategy (LBS) notes that weeds significantly increase fuel loadings, which exacerbates the fire/weed cycle and makes bushfires more intense and likely to spread.

The community outcry is centred on the unkempt state of verges and parks, particularly along key routes like The Broadway, which residents say encapsulates the council’s neglect.

Under a post on Facebook discussing the rampant weed outbreak, Ellenbrook resident Greg Whitfield called out the City of Swan’s inaction.

“When is our city going to make Ellenbrook look good,” he said.

“Ninety per cent of Ellenbrook looks like a weed infested area.”

Similar concerns were made by another resident Sharon Lambert who says areas near her property look unkempt.

“Even when they do the verges they do a half-hearted job with tufts of weeds and long grass,” she said.

“(We) pay rates on time every year and feel we don’t get much in return as far as making the area look half decent.”

City of Swan Mayor Tanya Richardson posting on a public forum said that the city maintains a quarterly mowing schedule around the City of Swan catchment.

“In order for an extra mow to be added to the budget for next year, it would need to be increased,” she said.

“This would need to be brought to council as part of our budget process.

“The City of Swan is a large tier 1 council and we are topographically the biggest.”

City of Swan chief executive officer  Stephen Cain said that a council decision would be required for any changes in the city’s maintenance program.