Weeds will be cleared from roads and pavements in a new eradication programme under the district council's control.

St Albans City and District Council has announced a new initiative to give rural roads a "deep clean" of weeds and improve the look of the area during spring and summer.

The programme will come into force next month after Hertfordshire County Council gave part of its highway duties to the district council for a year long trial period, which places the district council in control of clearing weeds.

Under this new initiative, the frequency of weed treatment will increase from two to three treatments a year, and some places which have not been treated for years will have particular attention paid to it.

Cllr Daniel Chichester-Miles, the who is responsible for the environment for the district council, said: “We are determined to get this right for the benefit of our residents as we want the district to look as good as possible.

"This new programme is our response to a number of complaints over the past couple of years about weeds growing on roads and pavements and it was clear action needed to be taken and we have stepped in to bring about some much-needed improvements.

"As the district council, we are more aware of these localised issues than anyone else. Now, we will have the responsibility to do something about it and I am sure we can rise to the challenge."

Street cleansing will also be timetabled to coincide with the weed removal, meaning any debris or litter trapped there will be cleared.

This new programme will be monitored until March next year, and will remain in control of the district council if the arrangements are a success.

Otherwise, they will revert back to the county council.