'Don't plant on grass verges' residents warned (From Kidderminster Shuttle)

'Don't plant on grass verges' residents warned

1:10pm Tuesday 28th July 2009 in News

PEOPLE are being warned not to plant on grass verges this summer.

Worcestershire County Council's highways team cuts verges and hedges next to main rural roads across the county throughout the sunny season but officers are asking residents not to plant in those areas, saying it might interfere with cutting.

Highways officers are finding more residents planting on areas that are not part of their property but are highways land.

Cutting crews have had problems with flowers, shrubs and even small trees in the path of their mowers.

Jon Fraser, the county council's community and response manager, said: "Although we appreciate that residents are trying to make their surroundings more pleasant, in the process they could potentially be causing obstructions and hindering visibility to drivers and other highway users."

Due to the amount of rain this summer, the county council expects to complete three cuts before the end of September. Mowing of verges in urban areas is undertaken more frequently to maintain a tidy appearance.

Some stretches of verge will be left uncut where Sites of Special Scientific Interest exist. Those are areas that contain the habitats of endangered plants and animals and are marked with red and white posts.

For further information, call the Worcestershire Hub, on 01905 765765.