A 19-year-old Westhoughton landscaper has been praised for taking the initiative to cut back vegetation on a road where motorists speed and illegally overtake at pedestrian islands.

Brandon Connor owns Bc Landscaping, a company he started two years ago after deciding to turn his odd jobs on the weekend into a full-time job.

Brandon says he decided to do something about the vegetation on Wigan Road after, he said, his little sister was “run over” on the road just after Father’s Day.

Sign up to our newsletters to get the latest stories sent straight to your inbox.

Brandon said: “The pathways are narrow as it is, so I thought after I sorted some work out, I’ve got some free time on my hands and I may as well try to help out the community.

“I’ve seen many people struggling to walk on this part of the road because it’s so overgrown.”

Brandon now wants to see an increased focus on cutting back vegetation in the area.

He added: “I’d like the council to try and sort themselves out and do what’s needed for the community, because there are lots of places that are neglected – there are lots of pathways that are overgrown with bushes and soil and stuff like that, and they don’t do anything about it.”

On the Friends of Our Westhougton Facebook group, Brandon was thanked for his hard work.

One resident said: “Thank you so much - I stopped walking down there as didn’t feel safe with my little dogs /me almost on the road. Huge kudos to you.”

Another added: “Well done! That’s a lot of hard work, hope it’s fully appreciated by everyone.”

Follow The Bolton News on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and TikTok.

His work was also noticed by local councillor David Chadwick – who thanked him for his efforts.

Now, Cllr Chadwick says he’s reported the area to the council’s highway department, with a hope to get the landowner to take control of the vegetation.

Speaking to The Bolton News, Cllr Chadwick said anyone who spots overgrown vegetation should contact the council’s highway department at streetcare@bolton.gov.uk.

He said: “The local authority would either do it and charge the landowner or property owner if they were encroaching, but essentially we would expect the landowner or property owner to agree and get things cut back – obviously pedestrian safety is important, whether it’s an adult, whether it’s a child, or a family with a pram, it’s important that we provide safe access to people.”

Cllr Chadwick said councillors had received several complaints about driver behaviour on the road.

He added: “I’m mortified that somebody might be seriously injured on that road, because it is a road where we’ve had a number of complaints about people speeding.

“It’s a road where we’ve got refuges in the middle of the road to enable pedestrians to get from one side of the road to the other, and I’ve seen motorists who overtake on the wrong side – instead of keeping left, they go around on the right-hand side, which absolutely appals me.

“I’ve been in contact with the police to get them to do regular checks, and they’ve agreed they will do.”

If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Bolton. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk.