Green park in Chadderton is a cut above

Chadderton's Princess Park will soon be a cut above the rest when it comes to being cleaner and greener.

When the mowing season starts next month, all horticultural work - such as cutting the grass and verges, and preening shrubs and bushes - will be carried out using battery powered machinery, rather than petrol or diesel.

Over time, and as ageing equipment is replaced with more eco-friendly machinery, more parks across the borough will go fossil fuel free, say Oldham Council.    

It's part of the authority's plan to become the greenest borough in Greater Manchester and carbon neutral by 2025.

Councillor Ateeque Ur Rehman, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services, said: "Oldham’s parks and green spaces are a real asset to the borough and our staff work hard to make sure they always look their best.

"We want Oldham to be greener and smarter, which is why we continue to develop economically sound ideas, which don’t rely on traditional energy sources.

"The new battery powered equipment is more efficient than the older equipment we currently use, and the added bonuses are that they are a lot quieter and don’t produce any carbon dioxide.

"Schemes such as Northern Roots, the proposed new Eco-Centre and solar farm, as well as the work we have done around the Green Oldham campaign will help us lead the way as a 'green' council."