32 Parish Councils cut grass in their areas on our behalf.
Grass cutting operations
On Monday 4 September we're starting the 5th cut of towns and villages.
The weed sprayers are out within the county – currently focusing on North West Leicestershire and Oadby & Wigston.
Please only contact our Customer Services Centre if grass or weeds are causing an imminent safety issue, such as affecting visibility or causing an obstruction to pedestrians or road users.
You can search our grass cutting map by postcode or place name to find the grass you’re interested in, then click on it to see when it will be cut.
Frequently asked questions
Why has my grass verge been missed?
Sometimes we aren’t able to cut grass on a verge, this could be due to:
- An obstruction i.e. a parked vehicle / wheelie bin
- Daffodils which cannot be cut until June
- A dedicated wildlife/flower verge
Our grass cutting teams log missed cuts and where possible we return to reported missed areas.
Why have the grass cuttings been left?
Our 11 gangs cut over 4m square metres on each four week cycle - that's the equivalent of 573 King Power Stadium pitches on each cut. The amount of clippings means we couldn't collect them. Our cutting teams use equipment to blow cuttings onto the verge, but this can sometimes be made harder by weather conditions.
I noticed the street nearby has been cut but not mine?
In larger areas we divide the grass cutting routes into zones which mean some streets / roads fall on different days. For example Loughborough takes 15 days and is split into different zones. This applies to other large areas such as Melton Mowbray, Coalville, Market Harborough which each take up to 5 days and Oadby & Wigston takes almost 10 days. So when you notice other nearby verges have been cut your verge is likely to be cut soon.
Villages & Towns maintained by a Parish Council on our behalf
Motorways and Trunk Roads are cut by National Highways
The A5 / A46 / A42 / A453 / A52 / A50 (J24 towards Stoke) / A14 / M1 / M69 / M42 and M6 are the responsibility of National Highways. You can report a grass issue to them by calling 0300 123 5000.
Rural grass cutting
Where as an urban area is classified anything within a 30 mph zone (or less) in towns and villages, a rural area would be anything that falls outside of this definition – these are the roads that link towns and villages.
We are now on our third and final cut of the season and this is a full cut of the highway verge – from the roadside to the back of the verge.
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.
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 wildlife verge scheme
Numerous Parish Councils have set up wild flower verges across Leicestershire.
If you're 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 2023 urban verge scheme – or email environmentteam@leics.gov.uk for wildlife verge applications only. For general enquiries about grass cutting and other vegetation issues, please complete the Report a road problem form or call 0116 305 0001.
Weed spraying
We don't have a specific policy for weed removal from the highway – our policy is to spray perennial weeds.
We employ a contractor to spray perennial weeds in the road channels and footways twice a year, to arrest and control growth, preventing structural damage to highway assets. This process is not designed to achieve weed-free roads all year round.
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.
High speed urban roads
| Location | Dates |
|---|---|
| Oadby, A6 London Road | 24 April, 24 May, 22 June, 20 July, 18 August, 18 September |
| Markfield, A50 Field Head | 24 April, 24 May, 22 June, 20 July, 18 August, 18 September |
| Birstall, A6 Loughborough Road Central Reservations | 26 April, 23 May, 21 June, 19 July, 16 August, 13 September |
| Loughborough, Epinal Way/Ashby Rd/Ling Road/Old A6 Central Reservations | 26 April, 23 May, 21 June, 19 July, 16 August, 13 September |
| A50, A46 Branting Hill to Glenfield Hospital | 25 May, 23 June, 21 July, 25 September |
| Lubbesthorpe Way – City Boundary to Soar Valley Way | 26 May, 26 June, 24 July, 26 September |
| Grove Farm Triangle, B4114 to Narborough | 30 May, 28 June, 26 July, 27 September |
| Croft, Coventry Road Central Reservation | 30 May, 28 June, 26 July, 27 September |
| Blaby Bypass | 31 May-1 June, 29-30 June, 26-27 July, 2-29 September |
High speed rural roads
To safely cut grass alongside dual carriageways and slip roads we have to arrange lane closures. These are cut twice during the season.
| Location | Dates |
|---|---|
| M1 Junction 21 | 3 June, 2 September |
| A4303 Junction 20 to Magna Park | 5-7 June, 6-8 September |
| A47 Clickers Way | 7 June, 8 September |
| A6 Great Glen Bypass | 8-9 June |
| A46 Newark Road, Thurmaston | 10-11 June, 9-10 September |
| A50/A511 Groby to Bardon | 12-15 June, 11-15 September |
| A47 Billesdon Crossroads | 16 June, 1 September |
| A6 Birstall to Loughborough | 17-20 June, 19-22 September |
| A6 Derby Road Dishley to Hathern | 20 June, 22 September |
Disclaimer
The grass cutting map is only an illustrative representation of the areas which the Council understands to be its responsibility as Highway Authority. The extent of the adopted public highway was not verified when compiling this dataset, so it may contain inaccuracies.
If you have reason to believe that any of the information is incorrect, please send a plan along with supporting information to the Council’s Highway Record Enquiries team (hre@leics.gov.uk) where the extent of the highway in the vicinity of the grass area will be investigated.
Please note that the presumption without evidence to the contrary is that any ditches or private boundary features (e.g. hedges) which overlap into the areas shown are the responsibility of the landowner adjoining the highway, and not the Highway Authority.