Grass cutting

Rural grass cutting

Grass on the verges either side of 60mph roads linking towns and villages is classed as rural grass. Tractors will be back out around the county on Monday 16 August to undertake the third cut of the season.

Please see the running order to find out when your area wil be cut:

Rural grass cutting III programme 2021    PDF,  42 kbOpens new window

As with the first cut we are only cutting junctions and bends in the road for visibility and allowing straight sections the opportunity to flourish and wildlife to benefit.

Junctions and bends in the road are cut right back for safety purposes – we have a duty to ensure visibility is maintained for road users. Junctions and bends will be cut three times.

The rural network is 3.9 million linear metres and our contractors’ tractors travel the equivalent of the length of the UK three times over on each cut!

Where there is a private access it is the responsibility of the property owners along the rural roads to keep their entrance clear and safe to access in and out of the property grounds.

Daffodils and planted bulbs

Daffodil cutting will take place during the third cut in June.

Even though they look dead, the plant leaves absorb energy from sunlight (through photosynthesis). That energy is converted into sugar producing chemicals – food that keeps bulbs blooming year after year. If we mow them too early, bulbs are stunted, resulting in smaller and fewer blooms the following year.

Urban wildflower verge scheme

41 Parish Councils are displaying Blue Hearts on 54 verges across Leicestershire, indicating that the verge has been left as part of the rewilding Britain’s roadside verges campaign.

If you are keen to join the campaign and see verges left uncut in your town or village please speak to your Parish or District Council who can speak to us about taking part in the 2022 urban verge scheme.

Weed spraying

Our routine weed spraying operation has recently been on hold due to requests for us to stop using Glyphosate. At present, glyphosate is the most feasible option and we need to address the ever-increasing number of overgrown weed related concerns.

Following a delayed start to the season weed spraying in Leicestershire started on 5 July. Our contractor is working hard to complete the programme as soon as possible.

• Charnwood - majority of the area treated
• Melton - area has been treated
• Harborough -  area has been treated
• Oadby, Wigston and Blaby - area has been treated
• Hinckley and Bosworth - treatment underway
• North West Leicestershire - treatment yet to start

For those areas treated, it can take up to 2 weeks for the weeds to die back after spraying. It is not possible to spray during periods of wet or windy weather so inclement weather can add further delays to the programme.

If you are concerned about general detritus in the channel please contact your District Council as a road / footpath sweeping concern. 

Please be reassured that weeds in your area will be treated by the end of September.

Hedge cutting

The majority of hedges are privately owned by adjacent landowners. 

Routine cutting of our highway owned hedges is restricted to between October and February, to avoid bird nesting season and fit around the grass cutting programme.

Hedges are only cut for safety reasons to ensure branches do not overhang the carriageway or footway/cycleways.

Edging back requests

Edging back mean ‘pushing back’ overgrown verge which has spread and narrowed the existing footway and is usually done between October and March when the ground is softer.

Resources are directed at priority sites. For example, where concern is raised that the footway width is reduced so much that it is making it difficult for parents with pushchairs or wheelchair users to pass.