20 hours Ago By Alex Evans
Anyone who has hedges in their garden is being urged to cut them before March due to a little-known environmental law. Giving your garden a prune, trim and a general spruce up each spring is a time honoured tradition, but time is rapidly running out to cut back any overgrown hedges before you run the risk of being prosecuted. There's a little known law governing hedges and hedgerows in the UK, which applies from March until August.
Falling foul of it could land you with an 'unlimited fine' and in extreme circumstances, even carries a risk of prison time. Though many probably inadvertently may break the law as they whip out the hedge trimmers and the secateurs over the summer, it's still the case that gardeners could get in trouble if they aren't careful thanks to a little known environmental regulation. Farm hedgerows cannot legally be cut between March 1 and August 31 at all because of laws to protect nesting birds.
While it's legal to trim domestic garden hedges at this time of year, if it causes a bird's nest to be damaged or destroyed, then you're still breaking the law. Wood Street Care Leicester says: "It's illegal to cut your hedges during bird nesting season, which runs from March to August. "Cutting your hedge during bird nesting season can damage or destroy nests, which is harmful to the birds.
It's also illegal to trim hedges on your property if they're taller than 20 metres without permission from the local council." Under Section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it's an offence to intentionally damage or destroy a wild bird's nest while it is being built or in use. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds backs this up too.
It says that a person is breaking that law if they intentionally damage a bird's nest while it's being used or built, and this applies to trimming hedges. "The moment it becomes active, it is illegal to destroy it." Amazingly, breaking this law could land you an unlimited fine and six months in prison, even for a single bird's nest egg being broken.
The RSPB adds: "The consequences for the above, even in the event of harm to a single bird, nest or egg, is an unlimited fine, up to six months in jail or both. Suffice to say, it is certainly not a risk worth taking." So if you do need to trim your garden hedges , February is the last chance to do it without running the risk of disturbing nesting birds.
Landscaping Specialist Andy McLaughlin at RF Paving has shared his top tips for tending to your garden during bird nesting season, so you can still make the most of your outdoor space. Even though Spring hasn’t quite sprung, Andy agreed on the importance of getting ahead of your landscaping tasks before bird nesting season. He said: "Birds are very specific when choosing where to nest.
"They mainly take cover in foliage away from predators in a safe location. These spaces are protected by law annually from 1st March to 31st August under the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981 and the European Commission Habitats Directive, and this should be considered when planning landscaping tasks that could interfere with potential nesting places. "The most common nesting places are trees, hedges, and hedgerows, but long grass is often overlooked as a nesting site.
Therefore, if this task must be tackled, make sure it’s before nesting season.” "If you are undertaking a large-scale landscaping project and need to remove or relocate bushes, plan ahead. However, if you merely want to trim or cut back foliage that is remaining in situ, this too must be done prior to 1st March.
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