Hedges

The council undertakes hedge cutting on its amenity and town centre hedges between September and March, unless requested where a hedge is seen to pose a Health & Safety risk.

We are not responsible for the cutting of hedges in private gardens.

During hedge cutting the growth will be removed to the point of the previous cut, all litter and debris will be removed from the hedge base, and all suckers and seedlings should be removed below ground level. All rubbish is removed from the site.

There are a number of hedges across the borough that are designated Conservation hedgerows. These hedges are only cut in February of alternate years.

Reporting overgrown council owned hedges

If a hedge belonging to a private property is encroaching over a public highway then please contact us and we in turn will write to the property owner asking them to cut back the offending hedge.

If you believe a council hedge is dangerous or causing a serious hazard, please report this to us using the following eform:

Report overgrown council hedges

An officer will visit the site and assess whether it is dangerous, and if so it will be cut within 10 working days. If the hedge is not cut within this time it has been judged as not dangerous or proving a hazard and will be cut on its normal schedule.

Protected hedges

Many hedgerows are protected by the Hedgerow Regulations 1997. Under these regulations it is against the law to remove or destroy certain hedgerows without permission from the local planning authority. More information can be found at Trees and hedgerows.

Problem with high hedges

When hedges grow out of control problems can occur. If you’re troubled by someone else’s hedge the best way to deal with the issue is to approach them and talk to them about your concerns.

The High Hedges Act only applies to evergreen trees or shrubs comprising of two or more stems and which are above two metres in height. The advice given by the government is that the Council should only be involved in a hedge dispute as a last resort.

The following factsheet gives advice on how to deal with high hedges. Please read through this before contacting the Council.

High Hedges Advice: Download (149KB)

Over the garden hedge is a government leaflet about how to settle your hedge differences without involving the local authority.

High hedges: complaining to the Council is government issued guidance explaining the powers that local authorities have to deal with high hedge disputes.