Remove weeds from pavement or be fined, Brussels suburb tells locals

Residents in the Brussels suburb of Rhode-Saint-Genèse (Sint-Genesius-Rode) have been given two weeks to pull up the weeds from the pavement outside their property - or face a fine and a bill for maintenance.

The town hall will be sending out letters to all residents informing them of their duties to keep the public walkway clean.

"Our local police rules have said for years that residents are responsible for this type of maintenance, but not everyone does it," said the town's mayor Pierre Rolin.

Earlier this month, he asked local police to draw up an inventory of the offending properties. If locals do not pull up the weeds, an external contractor will be called in to do the job and the bill passed on to the resident. The town council will also issue an administrative fine for non-compliance.

According to RTBF, many towns in recent years have been passing the responsibility to maintain walkways to local residents.