THEY say it’s good to talk.

But phone giant BT is ignoring calls from Scottish Borders Council to tidy up an area of ground it owns in Selkirk after local residents branded it an eyesore.

Cath Henderson revealed she was disgusted by the state of the telephone exchange in the town’s Shawpark Road after spotting the mess during a recent clean-up organised by the community council for which she volunteered.

She claimed it is littered with drinks bottles, cans, broken glass, dog excrement, and waist-high weeds.

But, because it is private ground, she revealed they could not touch it.

“It’s going to attract rats,” Cath warned at Monday night’s meeting of Selkirk Community Council. “It’s an absolute disgrace and becoming a health hazard.” Councillor Gordon Edgar, who represents the area on Scottish Borders Council, claimed there was little the local authority could do - except hope to embarrass the phone giant into action.

“It’s very unlikely that if the council got in touch with BT that BT would respond,” he said. But he added: “Hopefully, if BT are embarrassed enough, then they will come along and clean it up.” Community councillor Thomas Combe added: “We agree that something should be done.” Meanwhile, community councillors heard a public meeting was being planned to set up a new group in the town to improve the town’s floral displays.

Selkirk in Bloom was said to be the brainchild of Selkirkshire Councillor Michelle Ballantyne and had already attracted interest from a number of local groups.

The Toll Banking at the north entrance to the town was highlighted as a priority for any project.

But concerns have been expressed that, like other groups in the town, it could be left stumped by a shortage of volunteers.

Referring to Melrose in Bloom which attracts volunteers from all over the Borders, including one members heard who gets down on their hands and knees to clear weeds from the cracks in the pavement at 6am most mornings. Mr Combe said: “We’ll never get to their standard.”