MITCHELL Shire is just as prone to bushfires as it was before Black Saturday, according to residents and several councillors.

At Monday’s council meeting, councillors echoed the sentiments of Kilmore Integrity Kept Inc (KIK), which wrote to Star expressing displeasure that, on the first day of summer, there was still an abundance of tall grass in the municipality.

In the letter, KIK president Anne Rose stated: “Most of this shire remains as vulnerable as it was before the tragic fires of 7 February.

“The south of the shire is experiencing extreme November heat, and grass on roadsides and on shire reserves is up to a metre high.”

“VicRoads and VicTrack appear to have made no attempt to clear up roadsides or vegetation next to railway lines. There has been no back-burning along roads or railway lines in the shire.”

VicTrack spokesman Jason Murray said the railway line between Seymour and Beveridge, one of the main problem areas, was leased to V/Line and the Australian Rail Track Corporation.

“VicTrack is responsible for some vacant land in Wandong and Kilmore East that will be cleared by the end of the month,” he said.

V/Line spokeswoman Clare Steele said the railway line between Beveridge and Seymour has been sprayed with herbicide 5m either side of the track to prevent growth and eradicate existing vegetation.

“Due to the topography we are unable to get in to slash. We’ll actually be doing some slashing in Seymour on 13 December as we do some level crossing works, as this area is accessible,” Ms Steele said.

At Mitchell Shire’s council meeting last week, councillor Des Callaghan said: “If you walk from Seymour to Beveridge along the railway line, it’s an absolute disgrace. In Broadford, the grass would be five-foot high. It’s a very dangerous situation.”

Councillor Sue Marstaeller said she approached VicTrack in March about the highly combustible vegetation along the trainline in March, and eight months later nothing has been done.

“VicTrack need to have a fire prevention plan by law, but they have not done anything for years. It’s atrocious.”

“The grass at Heathcote Junction is 10 foot high, and they’ve put up the fences and you can’t even clear it if you want to.”

At the meeting, Cr Ross Lee put forward an alternative motion that council conducts an emergency audit of fire-risk material around major residential centres of the shire, but the motion was knocked back because councillors needed time to consider the motion and the council was under directions from the State Government and CFA.

“I believe we need to do a lot more to protect our towns from the potential of bushfire,” Cr Lee said.

“I understand that council has limitations as to what it can do internally, but I believe this is an emergency situation and that we need to do extra.”