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With the wet warm weather we’ve had in recent weeks my front hedge has gone bonkers.
it’s now at the stage where it’s very hard to see when pulling out of our drive, and is encroaching onto pavement - so really needs a trim.
It’s only a short run (8m ish). And I can’t recall seeing any birds coming in and out of it.
My reading is the cutting ban at this time of year is only on agricultural land.
My reading is that you're OK on a number of points - obstructing view, length, pavement, private garden...
I don’t think there’s any law as such, just a recommendation from the RSPB to avoid cutting between 1st of March and 31st of July. Whilst it’s illegal to disturb an active nest, if you observe the hedge and then look in it to check first and then if happy give it a light trim with some hand shears or cordless trimmers you should be ok. It should be noted that some birds have up to three broods.
Yes, that's guidance to farmers, etc.
The rest of us can realistically look for nesting and act accordingly.
Look into the hedge rather than rely on distant obs.
My reading is the cutting ban at this time of year is only on agricultural land.
Yes, this. Hedge cutting rules use to come under cross compliance rules for farmers but is now under management of hedgerows. Even then, there were exemption for roadside hedges
Thanks all! Thought that was the case - just seen a fair bit on click bait social media about fines and wondered if something had changed.
There is a shit tonne of nonsense posted about this -mostly by folk living in urban areas with non native hedging......
Look for evidence of nesting. No evidence. Crack on.
I had to stop pruning my camellia tree when I realised there was a Wood Pigeon sitting on a nest. It is obviously not bothered by people nearby as the main path to the door is right beside it. I had noticed pigeons in the bush over previous weeks but assumed they were there as they were drinking out the pond underneath which during the dry spell was the only source of water nearby.
It's about 10 feet off the ground visible from one point on the lawn
. https://forums-images.pistonheads.com/377062/202506107145385?resize=720
Cut our front hedge yesterday, not seen the birds nesting there for a week or so.
That website above gives rules for agricultural land which are specifically written for hedgerows. While there is no specific hedgerow law for domestic situations, wildlife protection law (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981) is widely taken to mean no cutting (Mar-Aug) unless you've checked there are no nests, though perhaps when there's real danger/access problems you can cut anyway.
Personally I've never heard of anyone getting into trouble for cutting a domestic hedge, ever. But that doesn't mean it hasn't happened.
It's easy to miss birds going in and out so I'd still be cautious. If you cut it back enough to actually see a nest then it's probably too late and they will accessible to predictors. I sometimes just cut the fuzz off. Not a proper trim, but gets the sticky out bits that go over the pavement. Too late now but remembering to do a decent autumn trim makes life easier in spring. As above though, no actual laws, just your own morals.
I've just read the link , near us developers have just ripped out a complete hedgerow to gain access to a field to start building, not sure if they followed any rules ?
Get your hedge cut
Get your ****in' hedge cut
Get your hedge cut
Get you ****in' hedge cut
Stop analysing Strava
And cut your hedge
I've just read the link , near us developers have just ripped out a complete hedgerow to gain access to a field to start building, not sure if they followed any rules ?
From observations, it normal for responsible developers to net off hedges earlier in the season, to stop bird nesting in hedgerow. Though you will notice that government guidance is for agricultural land, if it's being built on, it's hardly that anymore...
@trail-rat You will probably find that a lot of “urban dwellers” are very knowledgeable about wildlife.
Birds, as I suggested earlier, may have several broods and hedges should only be cut lightly at this time of year for reasons of access or safety. Leave the big cut until autumn or winter after the fruits and seeds have been taken.
To allude that “country dwellers” are the experts is somewhat contradicted by the fact that Britain is one of the least biodiverse on the planet!
thanks for confirming what i said.
The law protects all nesting birds from intentional harm (damage or destruction of the nest). If you have thoroughly checked the hedge and there are no active nests, then you are not intentionally causing harm or damage. So observation of whether birds are flying in and out (over a few days) and then putting your head in the hedge for a thorough inspection will tell you whether there are active nests or not. It's clearly safer to avoid cutting in the breeding season (March to end of July), but you won't be committing an offence if there are no active nests and you cut now.
If your hedge, growing from your land, is encroaching onto the pavement, then you are responsible for ensuring the pavement is clear. Your council can enforce this requirement by serving a notice on you to get it done in 28 days, or they can do it and charge you for it.
So get it checked, and if clear of nests, as a minimum trim the bit over the pavement and your driveway.
You need two people to observe a hedge for breeding activity because the hedge has two sides.
Leave it alone if possible.