The Neighbourhood Council's Lengthsman
A 'lengthsman' is an old-fashioned term for someone who looks after the neighbourhood, keeping it neat and tidy. It dates back to the days when parishes were the Highways Authorities nationally, and each parish employed someone to maintain and keep in good repair the 'length' of highway that passed through the parish.
Today, our Lengthsman, Mark, is a self-employed contractor who undertakes a range of duties aimed at further enhancing the area above and beyond the tasks that are undertaken by the principal authorities of Preston City Council and Lancashire County Council. Mark has spent all his life in and around Ingol and Tanterton and takes great pride in the area. He takes care of path clearing, weed control, verge edging, and maintaining the planters around the neighbourhood.
He cleans the moss and dirt off the road signs, to help keep them legible.
He picks up broken glass and attends to fly tipping if it is not too big - and he also deals with minor acts of vandalism, although there has been surprisingly little lately.
In 2021 he renewed and replanted the planters around the neighbourhood, and he did some work on the Cottam Underpass, tidying up the area and improving the drainage.
If you spot something that could do with attention, please get in touch
Note: weed control is carried out using an official approved glyphosphate spray, which minimises enviromental damage and is believed to be safe for pets. Mark has PA1 and PA6 certification for using pesticides safely