After noticing the mess still left on the footpath in front of Gloucester Public School on Monday morning (June 19) and again this morning (June 20), with the mess getting worse and people needing to walk across it to access the school, Gloucester Advocate contacted council to find out what was happening.

MidCoast Council confirmed the work had been undertaken by a contractor on behalf of Essential Energy.

An Essential Energy spokesperson said the company has a responsibility to provide a safe and reliable power supply to all customers, which involves the trimming of vegetation in and around powerlines.

“Crepe myrtle trees were pruned along the street yesterday (June 19) with debris removed during the afternoon, and trees in front of Gloucester Primary School were trimmed this morning (June 20) with debris removed at lunchtime,” Essential Energy said.

However, debris was still laying on parts of Hume Street at 3pm this afternoon (June 20).

When asked to respond about the conflicting information about this work, Essential Energy responded:

“Over 560 vegetation projects have been completed in Gloucester and this included 10 projects in Hume Street.

“Trimming in Hume Street did commence on Friday (June 16) with chipping and removal of debris continuing Saturday.  

“We do our best to remove debris on the same day, however there can be occasions when this is not possible, in which case we return the next day to remove. If debris cannot be removed it is moved off footpaths for pedestrian access.

“If a customer is concerned with completed vegetation work, or debris, they should contact Essential Energy on 13 20 80 so that we can address their concerns.”