Post by admin on Jan 5, 2013 0:21:45 GMT 10
A LOCAL council crew has become a social media sensation after it was exposed using a lawnmower on fake grass.
The Townsville City Council crew was this week photographed by motorists mowing artificial grass on a median strip, the Townsville Bulletin reports
The images sparked an angry response on social media, with residents arguing it was proof the council was wasting ratepayers' money.
When the matter was raised with the council, a spokeswoman said the contractors were not mowing the grass.
Rather the crew were cleaning the fake turf to remove cigarette butts following a request by a local, she said.
''The actual contractors who have done that work, they didn't give us the heads-up they were going to be using a mower," the spokeswoman said.
"There has been a major problem there with people littering and throwing their cigarette butts out.
"So they're not actually mowing grass, as much as people would have laughed and pointed it out, they were using it as a vacuum to suck up the butts."
A staff member from the nearby Supercheap Auto Hermit Park said the clean-up crew had supplied many belly laughs for colleagues and customers.
"We've all been getting a great laugh out of it," she said.
"They've been doing it a couple of times."
The council spokeswoman said the clean-up crew had been asked to consider other options when it came to cleaning the artificial grass.
"It does look ridiculous," she said.
The Townsville City Council crew was this week photographed by motorists mowing artificial grass on a median strip, the Townsville Bulletin reports
The images sparked an angry response on social media, with residents arguing it was proof the council was wasting ratepayers' money.
When the matter was raised with the council, a spokeswoman said the contractors were not mowing the grass.
Rather the crew were cleaning the fake turf to remove cigarette butts following a request by a local, she said.
''The actual contractors who have done that work, they didn't give us the heads-up they were going to be using a mower," the spokeswoman said.
"There has been a major problem there with people littering and throwing their cigarette butts out.
"So they're not actually mowing grass, as much as people would have laughed and pointed it out, they were using it as a vacuum to suck up the butts."
A staff member from the nearby Supercheap Auto Hermit Park said the clean-up crew had supplied many belly laughs for colleagues and customers.
"We've all been getting a great laugh out of it," she said.
"They've been doing it a couple of times."
The council spokeswoman said the clean-up crew had been asked to consider other options when it came to cleaning the artificial grass.
"It does look ridiculous," she said.
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