Now is the time to check whether your hedges and trees need pruning, particularly by the roadside, and to carry out any required work, say highways experts Cormac.

Maintenance is needed to ensure that the county’s roads are safe for motorists, cyclists, horse riders and pedestrians. This includes vegetation along pavements and public rights of way.

With over 4,500 miles of road in Cornwall, many bordered by hedges, bushes and trees, boundary hedges on private land are the responsibility of the landowner or occupier. 

Overgrown hedges growing over pavements can force pedestrians out into the road, putting them at risk from passing traffic.

They can also cause problems for delivery vehicles serving farms - the loss of a wing mirror can result in a repair cost of £500 and a side sheet, if torn, can cost in the region of £2,000 to replace.

 The vehicle owner can try and reclaim these costs from the owner of the property concerned.

The Cornwall Highways leaflet Cornish Roadside Hedge Management offers advice to landowners on how and when to cut hedges to ensure road safety is not compromised and to encourage biodiversity.

The leaflet was produced with input from ‘The Cornish Hedge Group’ - 18 voluntary and statutory organisations concerned with farming, conservation and public interests in Cornwall.

More information can be found at www.cornwall.gov.uk – type ‘Cornish Roadside Hedge Management into the search engine.