Road verges cutting (grass, trees and shrubs)
Maintenance (cutting) of grass, shrubs and trees within highway boundaries is Hampshire County Council’s responsibility. However,
In built-up areas including towns and villages (usually defined as areas with 30mph or 40mph speed limits) we pay the district councils to maintain the highway grass and shrubs on our behalf;
In rural areas, we maintain the highway grass and shrubs ourselves (via our contractor).
For more detail about the different organisations involved, see the table below. For information about tree maintenance, see the second table.
Frequency of verge cutting in rural areas
Rural Verge Cutting is managed by Hampshire Highways Area Offices.
Twice a year, all rural verges are cut back one metre from the edge of the road.
The first cut starts in May (precise date depends in part on grass length).This is completed within a maximum of six weeks.
The second cut starts in August, and again is completed within 6 weeks.
Grass and shrubs at junctions and in front of road signs are cut to ensure visibility is maintained. In practice this generally means that they are cut back at least 3 times during the summer.
Some specific areas of verge (sites of ecological interest) are cut at specific times of the year.
The remaining areas of verge are cut about once every three years in order to prevent them from becoming overgrown.
Other responsibilities
Hedges and trees growing along boundaries with the highway are usually the responsibility of the adjoining land-owner, even on the highway side. We (Hampshire County Council in all areas) have powers to enforce adjoining landowners’ responsibilities to maintain their vegetation, if necessary.
Non-highway public areas such as public open spaces and recreation grounds are the responsibility of the district/borough councils. Maintenance of grass, shrubs and trees in these areas is carried out by the district/borough councils.
Verge maintenance on Motorways and Trunk Roads and on any road in Southampton and Portsmouth is not Hampshire County Council’s responsibility.
Highway grass and shrub maintenance
Area |
Highway grass and shrubs maintained by |
|---|---|
|
Basingstoke and Deane Borough |
|
|
- Towns and Villages |
|
|
- Rural Areas |
Hampshire County Council |
|
East Hampshire District |
|
|
- Towns and villages |
|
|
- Rural areas |
Hampshire County Council |
|
Eastleigh borough - the whole borough |
|
|
Fareham borough - the whole borough |
|
|
Gosport borough - the whole borough |
|
|
Hart District |
|
|
- Towns and villages |
|
|
- Rural areas |
Hampshire County Council |
|
Havant borough - the whole borough |
|
|
New Forest district |
|
|
- Towns and villages |
New Forest District Council* except on the open side of cattle grids in villages in the New Forest, where vereges are grazed by animals |
|
- Rural areas (other than those shown below) |
Hampshire County Council |
|
- Unfenced verges in the New Forest, outside villages |
Verges are grazed by animals. These verges are the Forestry Commission's responsibility. |
|
Rushmoor borough - the whole borough |
Rushmoor Borough Council* Tel: 01252 398772 |
|
Test Valley borough |
|
|
- Towns and villages |
Test Valley Borough Council* Tel: 01264 368000 Email: leisure@testvalley.gov.uk |
|
- Rural areas |
Hampshire County Council |
|
Winchester district - the whole district |
Hampshire County Council |
Highway tree maintenance
Area |
Highway trees maintained by |
|---|---|
|
Eastleigh borough (the whole borough) |
|
|
Gosport borough (the whole borough) |
|
|
Rushmoor borough (the whole borough) |
|
|
Basingstoke – within the town boundaries |
|
|
Basingstoke and Deane borough – everywhere except within Basingstoke town boundaries |
Hampshire County Council |
|
Everywhere else in Hampshire (except Southampton, Portsmouth and motorways/trunk roads) |
Hampshire County Council |
* as agents to Hampshire County Council