Grass cutting on roadside verges

Grass cutting on urban and rural roadside verges is underway across the county.

Devon County Council funds four cuts a year on verges in towns and villages, but the latest cut has been slightly delayed due to recent wet weather. The work is undertaken by contractors, or District, Parish and Town Councils, depending on local arrangements.

Two or three programmed cuts are carried out a year on the rural priority network, which serves communities with over 100 people. On minor rural roads, a single cut of visibility areas is scheduled. However, additional cutting of visibility areas such as junctions, lay-bys and the inside of bends is undertaken as needed.

Verges on roads on the priority network are cut to a width of one metre from the road side. A full width verge cut is undertaken every third year on all routes to control the excessive growth of brushwood, scrub and harmful weeds.

The priority is the higher category roads, including the A376 Sandy Gate to Clyst St George, the A361 North Devon Link Road, and A39. The remainder of routes on the priority network, which are on the primary and secondary salting network, will be cut between now and 17 June. This includes the A3052 Clyst St Mary to Lyme Regis, Bideford to Torrington, A399, B3440 Uffculme to Culmstock, and A381.

Visibility splays on more minor routes will be cut between June and August, with some continuing throughout September and October.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said: “Growth of vegetation on highway verges is controlled for safety and environmental reasons, but the pressures on budgets means that grass is not cut as frequently as it used to be. Our rural verge grass cutting policy encourages a varied habitat across the verge with smaller wild flowers in the cut strip and the remaining uncut area permitting the growth of taller species that encourage wildflowers, insects, butterflies, birds and small mammals.”

Contractors are encouraged to avoid the destruction of fine stands of wild flowers.

The grass cutting programme is subject to weather conditions.