Please remember that it is your responsbility to maintain your hedges and borders particularly those adjoining public roads where overgrowth can create significant hazards.
The Importance of Hedge Maintenance
In rural areas, where visibility is often reduced due to winding roads and natural obstacles, overgrown hedges can severely impair sightlines for drivers. This can lead to dangerous situations, including collisions with other vehicles, cyclists, or pedestrians. Additionally, poorly maintained borders can obstruct road signs and junctions, further increasing the risk of accidents.
Your Legal Obligations
Under UK law, the responsibility for maintaining hedges and trees that border public roads rests with the landowner. This is stipulated in several key pieces of legislation:
- Highways Act 1980 (Section 154): This act empowers local authorities to serve a notice on landowners requiring them to cut back hedges, trees, or shrubs that obstruct the highway or reduce visibility. If the work is not completed within a specified time, the council has the right to carry out the necessary work and recover the costs from the landowner.
- Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 and 1984: Landowners have a duty of care to ensure that their property does not pose a hazard to those using the highway. Failure to maintain hedges and trees could result in liability if an accident occurs as a result of overgrowth.
- Road Traffic Act 1988: This act outlines the need for clear visibility at junctions, corners, and bends. If your hedges obstruct the view of drivers, you could be contributing to an offence under this act.
Practical Steps for Compliance
To comply with these legal requirements and to ensure the safety of all who use our roads, please take the following actions:
- Regularly inspect the hedges and trees along your property’s boundaries, especially those adjacent to roads.
- Trim back any growth that extends into the highway or obstructs visibility for road users.
- Remove any branches or debris that may fall onto the road, particularly during storms or high winds.
- Consider the timing of hedge maintenance to avoid disturbing nesting birds, ideally carrying out this work between late autumn and early spring.
Consequences of Non-Compliance
Failure to maintain your hedges and borders not only endangers public safety but can also have serious legal and financial consequences. If your hedges are found to be obstructing the highway, the local authority can take action against you, including issuing a notice or carrying out the work themselves and charging you for it. In the event of an accident, you may also be held liable for damages.
Working Together for a Safer Parish
We urge all parishioners to take this responsibility seriously. By ensuring that your hedges and borders are well-maintained, you are not only complying with the law but also contributing to the safety and well-being of our entire community.
Thank you for your cooperation and continued commitment to keeping Wem Rural Parish a safe and beautiful place to live.
