LAND in Shavington near a primary school has become an overgrown wilderness because a council didn't know it owned it.

The grass on the site outside Shavington Primary Academy on Southbank Avenue is about five feet tall and overgrown with weeds.

Resident Nigel Wheeler raised the issue when no-one at Cheshire East Council would accept responsibility.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "I don't think it's been cut for about 18 months.

"I emailed Cheshire East Highways and they replied saying the matter was closed, it wasn't their responsibility."

The land was maintained by Shavington Primary School before it became an academy. When Cheshire East transferred the site to the newly-formed academy in 2015 it did not include the land outside.

Shavington councillor David Marren says it was obvious that if the council was responsible for the land before the school became an academy and it didn't transfer it to the academy, it is still responsible now.

He said when he contacted Ansa, the council's company responsible for grounds maintenance, it denied responsibility for the site.

He also suggested the council spoke to its education department to "sort the issue".

"Departments don't seem to resolve things between them, they just answer for themselves," said Cllr Marren.

"So the very fact Ansa can say 'it's not us' and highways can say 'it's not us', doesn't mean it's not the council and you would expect there to have been some talking between departments because that's what's expected by residents."

He added: "There seems to be no sorting out of a problem. The resident contacted highways and they've said it's not us but that doesn't mean the problem has gone away and it is still a Cheshire East problem. That can't be the right sort of approach."

Shavington Primary Academy provided the Local Democracy Reporting Service with a copy of the 2015 lease, which shows the land in question was never transferred to the academy.

Cheshire East has now admitted it is responsible for the land.

A council spokesperson said: "Our research has revealed that the land is not, after all, within the curtilage and ownership of the academy, but is in fact within the ownership and responsibility of the council.

"The council will therefore make arrangements for the land to be maintained by the council in the future."