WORDSLEY residents were be-cider themselves with joy after a pub boss stepped in to sponsor the cutting of an overgrown grass bank.

People living on the Rectory Fields estate were left to seek their own sponsor to fund the cutting of the grassy slope that runs along the A491 after Dudley Council decided to stop mowing it and a host of other borough banks to help save £30,000.

Black Country brewing company Bathams at first came to the rescue, offering to pay for the grass to be cut as a one-off gesture of good will, but residents were left to find a permanent solution to the problem.

However, Michelle New - landlady at the Queens Head pub in Wordsley High Street - lifted residents’ spirits when she offered to become the new sponsor for a year.

She said: “It was a shame as it’s a nice area - so we just decided we’d get it done and when it grows back we’ll be responsible and we’ll cut it for everyone.”

Resident Angela Davies said: “We’re absolutely elated that we managed to get a sponsor. We’re really grateful to the Queen’s Head and to resident Carol Bradley for going over and asking them.”

Mrs Bradley added: “I think it’s an absolutely marvellous gesture to the community; the pub has always been a community pub. When I went over to ask them for support they did not hesitate.”