A SORRENTO couple have expressed concern after incomplete fire-prevention works left their roadside vegetation a “dead and dying mess,” raising fears it may increase fire risk.
Residents Helen and Bruce, who asked not to use their surname, said contractors engaged by Mornington Peninsula Shire removed some dead ti-trees and undergrowth along Hughes Rd but left large amounts of vegetation behind.
The leftover debris, they said, located between their front fence and the road, was both a fire hazard and an “ugly eyesore”.
Despite repeated calls and emails, the couple said the shire appeared to have no plans to return to finish the work.
But while contractors had planted five small trees at a neighbouring property as compensation for a more extensive clearance, Helen and Bruce have been left to deal with the remaining mess themselves.
They also said they believed there are several unhappy property owners who have made similar complaints to the shire.
“We don’t expect the council to return; they seem to think it is good enough and that the rubbish left is habitat. Not sure what for, snakes and rats presumably,” they said.
“It’s almost like they bulldozed their way through before stopping.”
A shire spokesperson said the bushfire hazard reduction work at Hughes Rd focused mainly on removing dead vegetation, large woody weeds and other invasives like English Ivy.
“Our standard practice is to leave logs and leaf litter untouched because it’s important wildlife habitat. We have met with the resident and have planted some native species to fill a gap created by the weed removal, which she was happy with,” the shire spokesperson said.
However, Helen confirmed with The News neither she or Bruce had met with shire staff and that the rubbish had still been left.
“It’s cost me $300 to clear the leftover debris. It’s a creeper and ivy, and some groundcover daisy that grows crazy,” she said, with their neighbours “equally appalled”.
“I had a phone call (from the council) to say, ‘we’re not coming back to clear anything’ and were leaving the fallen trees and what have you for habitat for bugs and insects.
“It beggars belief.”
The shire’s bushfire prevention strategy undertakes bushfire management works on public land, including road reserves, bushland, and foreshore areas, to reduce fuel hazards and protect nearby properties.
Works focus on removing fine fuels such as small dead branches, undergrowth, and shrubs that contribute most to fire risk.
Land is managed within asset protection zones, areas near homes that receive intensive fuel-reduction work; as well as within bushfire moderation zones, areas further from homes that receive less intensive but strategic management.
The shire also conducts grass slashing, patrols on total fire ban days, and planned burns with the CFA.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 11 November 2025
