A canal overgrown with vegetation which separates the communities of Passagefort and Westchester, has been given a facelift.

Fifty National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) workers armed with machetes, weed whackers and power saws participated in the mid-July activity.

Westchester Councillor Shane Dalling, who spearheaded the programme, said residents living on either side of the canal, bordering Palmetto West and Westchester Crescent, were unable to see their neighbours for about seven years because of the high vegetation.

Dalling also blamed the overgrowth for a rise in criminal activities in the vicinity of the canal.

"A car was stolen on Westchester Crescent last month and other persons have been robbed," he said. "People have expressed that they feel a bit safer now ... . They now have a clearer view of their community because of the initiative today."

The clean-up campaign would have cost more than $1 million had the NSWMA not provided workers, The Gleaner was informed. Instead, the facelift cost the Portmore Municipal Council $300,000, which included the clearing of debris left by the workmen.

- Anthony Minott