Grass cutting
We maintain a network of 5100 km of roads and 1200 km of cycle routes and footways. Grass verges border a significant proportion of this network in our rural county. Grass cutting is therefore an important part of our highways maintenance programme.
Grass is cut in our rural and urban areas to:
- maintain visibility for road users
- keep traffic signs clear
- keep verges passable for pedestrians, horse riders and cyclists
- maintain the tidy appearance of verges in towns and villages
Who cuts the grass?
The work is carried out by private contractors and coordinated by our divisional offices. Each divisional office is responsible for the management of grass cutting within their area. In addition, a number of other parish and district councils undertake extra cutting to keep verges tidy within their areas.
Our standards
Your safety is the primary objective of our grass cutting programme. However, we adopt different approaches to verge maintenance in urban and rural areas to reflect other important priorities.
- Urban grass cutting
The appearance of verges is an important consideration in urban areas. Therefore, we cut urban verges approximately five times a year. We cut a minimum width of one metre - sometimes the whole verge - in urban areas.
- Rural grass cutting
We cut rural verges adjacent to bends, access points or junctions, at least twice a year in order to maintain sight lines and prevent obstruction to motorists' vision. Rural verges frequently used by pedestrians are cut least once a year.
Rural verges provide important habitats for a variety of species. As a consequence, we cut a limited width of most rural verges only once a year. By keeping the width of cutting to a minimum, the remaining verge area can provide a habitat for wild flowers and animals.
- Weeds
Chemical sprays are sometimes used in limited amounts to control the growth of certain weeds - such as ragwort, docks and thistles - where could cause a nuisance or hazard. The sprays we use are non-residue and approved by Severn Trent Water. You can also find out more about Common Ragwort on the highway, by following the link on this page.
How can I report an overgrown verge?
We carry out regular safety inspections on our roads. As part of the inspection process, we aim to identify grass verges which have become overgrown and pose a hazard to highway users.
However, vegetation can grow rapidly, especially during favourable weather. If you encounter or observe a problem with an overgrown verge, you can report it by:
- Contacting us by telephone, email or post; follow the "contact us" box on this page for details.
- Completing the on-line fault report attached to this page.
You can download our grass cutting leaflet by selecting the attachment on this page. The leaflet is also available at our Shirehall reception, our Highway Divisional offices, our customer service centre and local libraries. Please contact us if you would like to request your copy of this leaflet.
