BRADFORD Council is planning a move away from neatly trimmed grass verges to wildflower verges instead – and we say it can't do so quick enough.

Britain's grass verges have been trimmed and strimmed to within an inch of their lives – quite literally – for decades.

The resulting neatly manicured verges may look smart but they are a charnel house for wild floral and fauna.

Thanks to our obsession with neatness some rare wildflowers are on the verge of being lost forever.

Some species have nowhere else to live these days. Nearly 7.5 million acres of UK wildflower meadow have disappeared.

Verges make up nearly half of what's left.

Massacring wildflower verges seems a strange way to spend taxpayers' money when the council is having to scrimp and save.

And it isn't as if everyone appreciates a well-trimmed grass verge.

Some folk seem to think grass verges are there just to be a receptacle for plastic bags, fast food wrappers, cigarette ends and bin bags full of household rubbish.

Well-designed wildflower verges can be a credit to our city.

In Rotherham the council has sown more than eight miles of wildflower verges with native and non-native species.

In doing so it gave the borough a visual lift and saved £25,000 in mowing costs.

So we say let's give the new policy a chance.

After all, what would you rather look at - a beautiful wildflower verge that's a riot of colour and a haven for wildlife or miles and miles of scorched-earth stubble?