Contractors continue to "work flat out" to catch up with grass cutting across the district following 'No Mow May', Warwick District Council (WDC) has said.

Many verges across the area remain untended, a month after the national 'Plantlife' scheme finished.

Like many other councils, WDC took part in the biodiversity initiative for the first time this May, saying it was part of its declared ecological emergency.

But now the council is saying the cold weather in the early spring combined with a warm May has meant "the volume and scale of the workload" for cutting was "far greater than anticipated".

The green spaces team has also faced "a number of mechanical issues" in cutting back the grass.

The scheme has received a huge amount of backlash on social media, with many locals demanding the council does not take part in the scheme again next year.

Contractors have also reportedly been abused by members of the public over the past few weeks.

Cllr Will Roberts, portfolio holder for neighbourhood said: "We fully understand the frustration of members of our local community, that many areas have remained uncut at the end of June, a situation that we hope to have fully resolved in the next couple of weeks.

"However, there is no doubt that taking part in 'No Mow May' has provided a much-needed boost for wildlife with the plants and wildflowers providing an important food source for pollinating insects at this crucial time of year.

"Nevertheless, we have learned many lessons this year and will be taking on board the advice and feedback we have received from the public comments and survey results as we make our plans for 2024.

"It's also deeply concerning that our hard-working teams are facing an increasing amount of verbal abuse.

"Warwick District Council operates a zero-tolerance approach to violence and aggression, verbal and physical abuse or threats towards all staff and contractors, which may result in action being taken and in extreme cases Warwickshire Police involvement.

"Our message therefore is to be kind to the crews, they are doing their best and if forced to leave a site their job will take even longer!"

With cutting resuming on June 5, and still underway, contractors are now prioritising areas where there are safety concerns such as road junctions.

Over 4,200 people responded to a survey following the scheme finishing at the end of May.

WDC has not released the results of the survey yet.

But a poll by Nub News revealed that nearly two thirds of readers do not want No Mow May to return next year.

A further 16 per cent said the scheme should come back, but with changes. Some readers said it would be better if the council targeted fewer areas for wilding, and made sure verges around busy road junctions were still mown.