Now you see then, now you don’t.
And a council has been accused of ‘vandalism’ for removing shrubs which it says were obscuring a traffic light and causing accidents.
Kirklees Council has cut down plants on traffic islands opposite Great Northern Retail Park in Leeds Road following what the council claim were several crashes and near misses.
The council says the plants were hiding the red light leading to accidents.
But their removal has been blasted by retired Kirklees Council gardener Peter Fawcett.
Mr Fawcett said: “They were in perfect condition. No-one could hide behind them. They were not overgrown. There was no impediment to their existence.
“This is not the action of a so-called ‘green’ council – the opposite in fact.”
Mr Fawcett added: “To rip them out is Kirklees-funded vandalism.”
A council spokesperson said: “The council has cleared the foliage from around the signals at the Great Northern Retail Park.
“This has taken place to reduce the risk of road traffic collisions. A number of collisions had been recorded involving vehicles missing the red signal when approaching from Huddersfield.
“A site visit showed that the offside signal, the one in the island, was severely obstructed by foliage which could have contributed to the collisions.
“The decision was made to remove the foliage, re-site the roundabout sponsorship sign and realign the signal head so it is more visible to drivers approaching from Huddersfield.”
