Hedge cut warrior Paddy cut down over 'good deed'

Louise Walsh

A self-confessed ‘can-do’ Meath Co. Councillor who closed a public road without permission to cut overgrown hedges, has vowed to do it all again when he gets ‘some money together.’

East Meath Fine Gael Cllr Paddy Meade says he closed the Sheephouse Road - between Drogheda and Donore - to cut back the dangerous overgrowth on lands, he claims, are in receivership. 
He put traffic diversions in place for four hours while the work was in progress.
However he has expressed ‘shock’ that his ‘good deed’ in employing the services of a contractor from his own pocket, was reported to gardai.
He says he felt he had to act after getting calls from locals over ‘near misses’ due to the excess growth on the secondary road, near the Oldbridge site.

Cllr Meade remarked: “The lands are in receivership and the hedges have been brought to the attention of Meath Co. Council many times over the last two years by both myself and other councillors. 
“Meath Co. Council do send out notices to cut hedges but no work was done.
“Last week I received yet another call from local residents claiming a driver had to reverse 400 meters around a bend to allow a tourist bus to get by because the overgrown hedge had made the road impassable for two vehicles.
“This was yet another lucky escape which could’ve very well ended in tragedy. So I decided I had to act before someone was killed.
“I paid for the services of local contractors out of my own pocket and closed the road from 8am for four hours the week before Christmas.
Cllr Meade admits what he did was technically illegal but says it was safer to close the road and divert traffic than to let traffic overtake the machinery.
“Hands up - I had no permit to close the road but I felt that public safety was the bigger priority. “No doubt I’ll get a talking to by the council but we carried out the work in the safest possible manner with a complex traffic management diversion plan in place.”

He said the gardai were called and arrived on the scene but no further action was taken.

“To be honest, I’m shocked there has been any fuss made of the issue at all. I stand by what I’ve done and when I get the money together, I plan to finish the job all the way to the Battle of the Boyne at Oldbridge. All contributions from state bodies are welcome.”

Cllr Paddy Meade came under the spotlight in recent years when he took salt without authorisation from Meath Co. Council to distribute on frosty roads in his own constituency.

Meath Co. Council said a road closure permit is generally not needed for hedge-cutting as it is carried out over a short period of time and traffic can usually pass the machine.