Its hard to believe but the end of summer is almost upon us and during a drive around the Parish we noticed a large number of hedgerows that have grown, simply because it is wrong to cut back between April and August (inclusive) as well as being against some restrictions;

Highway Safety

Landowners and occupiers whose hedges run alongside the highway are responsible for the maintenance of the hedge.  Failure to adequately maintain a hedge and prevent a hedge from interfering with the use of the highway may result in a formal notice being served by the in local authority requiring action.Landowners are responsible for trees on their land and are required under the Highways Act to ensure that trees are not a danger to anyone using the highway.  If a tree or branch falls onto the highway the landowner is responsible for its removal and could face liability if the fallen tree or branch causes an accident.

Wildlife ProtectionThe months of March through to the end of July is the breeding season for birds and as far as hedge cutting is concerned is considered a closed season and unless there exists unavoidable health and safety concerns hedge cutting during this season should be avoided. Ideally, as birds and other wildlife feed off berries and nuts during the winters cutting should also be avoided in the first couple of months of the year.

Under the Hedgerow Regulations 1997 it is an offence to remove any hedgerow, or part of a hedgerow, without the necessary planning consents. And so, we would be grateful if you are responsible for a hedge along your land (even if it is on a verge) that you could trim it from September onwards.