Clipped hedge? It’s a wildlife crime say angry villagers
YOU might have thought that locals would be grateful when a long stretch of overgrown hedgerow blamed for scratching passing cars was cut back.
But in fact angry villagers called in the police – saying the pruning was so severe it may have had a ‘catastrophic’ impact on birdlife.
Residents of Horsington in Somerset were aghast after more than a mile of hedgerow was hacked back during the bird-nesting season.
The work, which was ordered by landowners, was done after com- plaints to the council that the hedges were obstructing the road.
But they are usually left alone during spring and summer – as it is illegal to do work that could harm birds or destroy their nests.
District councillor Tim Inglefield said: ‘It is shocking. It looks like more damage than we should accept.’
Villager Richard Gaunt said: ‘It leaves me speechless and a lot of other people in the village feel the same way.’ However, a Somerset County Council spokesman said cutting hedgerows at this time of year was permitted if public health and safety was at risk.
The parish council had also written to the county council to say a section near the primary school needed trimming because of child safety concerns.
Yesterday, the landowners responsible for cutting back the hedge, Philip and Lucinda Colebatch, said that the county council had asked them to do the work within a month. Mrs Colebatch added: ‘ We would never normally cut our hedges at this time of the year because we encourage wildlife.’
A police spokesman confirmed that the case had been referred to the local wildlife crime officer.