Grass, hedge and shrub cutting

Grass

Where we cut grass

We cut grass on all Council-owned land, including:

• public open spaces
• parks and commons
• highway verges
• central reservations
• blocks of flats.

If grass is on private property and is encroaching on a highway, please contact Hertfordshire County Council.

When we cut grass

The main grass-cutting season is from April to September, although we may start cutting as early as March. Final cuts may take place as late as October.

Regular grass cutting is carried out five times a year. Parks and recreational grounds are cut as required. 

How we cut grass

When cutting grass in residential areas, we usually:

• use a ride-on mower to cut the larger areas of grass
• use a strimmer to cut around obstacles (such as trees or lamp-posts) and small areas where the ride-on mower can’t safely cut
• spread the grass cuttings evenly over the ground
• use a blower to sweep footpaths, blowing all the grass cuttings back on to the area of grass or into the road to be picked up by one of our road sweepers.

We're aware there can be concerns about grass cuttings blocking drainage channels. We will always try to blow cuttings off footpaths and roads.

Due to the large area of grass maintained by our teams, we continue mowing during wet weather. Areas that have been cut during wet weather may appear churned up immediately after works have been completed. This is usually superficial, and the verge will normally recover within 48 hours. For health and safety reasons, cutting grass banks may not be carried out if the ground is wet.

Report a problem

If you've noticed a problem with an area where we cut grass, you can report this to us by emailing cleansafegreen@dacorum.gov.uk.

Issues may include

• overgrown grass, which has not been cut in the past six weeks
• grass reducing visibility for road users

If your report concerns grass maintenance, we will schedule the works for our next visit. For reports about obstructions, or similar queries, we'll assess the nature of any work required and schedule these into our work programmes.

Wildflower meadows

We’ve been creating more wildflower-rich and biodiverse grasslands across the borough. These areas are managed differently to encourage them to flourish. The grass may have a different cutting regime to encourage wildflowers to grow, be seeded with wildflowers, or laid with wildflower turf.

For more information, and to see our wildflower map, please visit out biodiversity and conservation page.

Hedges and shrubs

Where we cut hedges and shrubs

We cut all hedges and shrubs on Council-owned land.

We are not responsible for cutting hedges and shrubs on private property or land. If a hedge belongs to a private property and is encroaching on a highway, please contact Hertfordshire County Council.

When we cut hedges and shrubs

The main hedge-trimming season is from October to March. This is to avoid bird-nesting season (from mid March to the end of July).

Hedges and shrubs are cut once a year.

If a hedge or shrub is causing a safety issue - for example, blocking a pathway, we will prune outside of our usual schedule.

If a hedge is not considered to be dangerous, it will continue to be cut on its normal schedule.

How we cut hedges and shrubs

We cut them back to the point of the previous cut, remove all litter and debris from the hedge base, and remove all suckers and seedlings to below ground level.

Report a problem

If you've noticed a problem with a hedge or shrub, you can report this to us by emailing cleansafegreen@dacorum.gov.uk.

Issues may include:

• Overgrown shrubs
• Hedges or shrubs reducing visibility for road users
• Hedges or shrubs posing trip hazards for pedestrians.

If a hedge or shrub is not considered to be dangerous, it will continue to be cut on its normal schedule.