Grass verges and cutting

Our approach to grass cutting

We cut grass to help road safety - to make sure there is good visibility at bends and junctions, to keep road signs clear, and to give room for people to pass on the pavement.

We also consider environmental factors and appearance. In rural areas we give importance to conservation.

Grass cuttings

We do not collect grass cuttings because they provide nutrients to the soil. We blow cuttings back onto the verge where needed.

Grass cutting in towns and other 30 mph and 40 mph areas

We cut the grass 10 times per year, which means cutting will be approximately every 4 weeks during the growing season between March and November depending on the weather. 

However, a small number of verges in 30 mph and 40 mph areas are cut less often to help support wildflowers and insects.

Grass cutting in rural areas (outside 40 mph areas)

Grass verges are refuges for plants, birds and insects. To protect this wildlife, we only cut rural grass verges once a year. Cutting takes place at the height of the growing season. This gives plants a chance to flower and keeps the verge looking attractive for as long as possible.

We use tractors to cut a single 1.2 metre strip back from the edge of the road or footway, with extra cutting to give visibility at junctions and bends. We also cut around street furniture.

We do our best to avoid planning a rural cut at the same time as a major local event, but this is not always possible.

The programmed dates for cutting rural highway verges during the 2022 growing season are as follows:

• Rural visibility cuts, to keep sightlines clear at junctions and bends, are carried out twice a year.  The first cut took place on 25 May 2022 and the second is due to start on 22 August 2022
• The full cut of the rural verges commenced  on 1 June 2022 and is currently on going.