I can't afford to keep doing council's job by weeding the street

STOCKPORT cafe owner Bekka Johnson says overgrown weeds and ‘treacherous’ moss are leaving her part of the town centre feeling ‘forgotten’ - when £7m is being spent nearby.

- BY EDWARD BARNES

Bekka Johnson, owner of the Covent Garden cafe on Lower Hillgate has slammed Stockport council over the state of a small public space next to her business.

‘The area is dotted with a few planters, trees, and a frog which have seen better days and weeds can be seen growing out of the pavement in several places.

She told the LDRS she used to spend her own money doing up the area but with the rising cost of running a business, she could no longer afford to do that.

Bekka said she has recently repeatedly tried to contact the council to raise the issue with no luck.

She added: “I just haven’t got the money any more. Do I either pay my ladies or do the flowers for the council?

“That is where we are at with the choices with money. Everything has been squeezed so much that there isn’t spare money to do that. I keep it clean but it’s quite a lost area at the moment.