An Ely resident says she is "disappointed" at the lack of care taken over the city’s country park Jubilee maze.

Pauline Stonehouse, who uses the country park every day to walk her dogs, says the planting and maintenance in and around the maze is extremely disappointing.

“I’m delighted that we have a maze in the country park but it needs regular maintenance,” she said.

“The sign that welcomes walkers into the maze says anyone is welcome but I don’t think that’s a good idea at the moment.”

A spokesperson for East Cambridgeshire District Council (ECDC) said: “Maintaining the Jubilee maze during the exceptionally dry spring and summer, which has seen record temperatures, has certainly been a challenge for us.”

Pauline says on her walks she regularly sees the litter pickers doing a successful job in the country park, but believes it is now time for the council to “step up” and maintain the maze.

%image(14496128, type="article-full", alt="Pauline Stonehouse believes it is time for the council to "step up" and maintain the maze.")

“I would’ve liked to have walked my grandchildren through it but copious nettles would have rapidly spoilt their fun,” she said.

“I don’t think the council treated the ground prior to planting the maze to get rid of all of the nettles in and surrounding it.”

The ECDC spokesperson said: “To keep the maze alive, we have needed to water it. This is part of our policy to water newly planted trees using water from river sources only, avoiding putting pressure on public water supply.

“This has caused the nettles to put on a tremendous amount of growth despite our best efforts to keep on top of them.”

The ECDC spokesperson says the council has been putting extra resources into mulching the newly planted trees to help maintain moisture in the ground.

%image(14496129, type="article-full", alt="Pauline Stonehouse believes it is time for the council to "step up" and maintain the maze.")

They say given the challenges, ECDC has been working hard to find the best and most ecological and sustainable way to maintain the planting.

“Please bear with us,” the ECDC spokesperson said.

“The tree maze is still in its infancy and while it’s open and free for members of the public to enjoy, we anticipate it will be a few years before it becomes a fully established attraction.”

East Cambridgeshire District Council will reassess the programme of works on the maze during the autumn and winter period next year.