A councillor says she is trying to solve a “complicated situation” in tackling continued complaints over overgrown grass and weeds surrounding a parade of shops.

Kendra Evans said maintenance of the privately owned land in Vicarage Drive, Marske, had been ignored allowing the vegetation to get out of control.

However two areas were now being cut by the employees of one shop, while some locals had also offered their services on a voluntary basis.

Despite some apparent progress, responsibility for the continued upkeep has not been fully determined with one resident who recently contacted the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) describing the area as an “absolute mess”.

She said: “Living near it is miserable.”

St Germain’s ward councillor Evans said: “It’s a complicated situation. The ownership has been really difficult to establish.”

Cllr Evans said she had taken to sending formal letters to property owners in an effort to move things along.

She said: “In the meantime, the two areas directly out the front of Vicarage News have been mowed by the shop employees, which has made a difference to the appearance.”

Cllr Evans told the LDRS she had revisited the issue several times since being elected last year, but progress had been “frustratingly slow”. She added: “Several people have offered to cut the grass on a voluntary basis which is incredibly kind of them, however, the main issue is the upkeep going forward.”

Grass cutting and maintenance of shared spaces continue to be a hot topic among residents and council members in the borough.

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Last month Redcar and Cleveland Council said unprecedented heavy rain had impacted its grass-cutting schedules which had fallen up to two months behind as a result.

Some councillors have also questioned the local authority’s involvement in the ‘No Mow May’ environmental initiative adopted in some areas which is being reviewed.

Meanwhile, last summer social housing firm Beyond was at the centre of complaints and forced to apologise for “unacceptable” delays in its maintenance of tenants’ communal areas, having contracted the work out to Essex-based firm Ground Control.