Wildflower bloom as council's put away mowers put away mowers
More than two in three local councils are now mowing road verges less often to encourage wildflowers and increase biodiversity after the Covid-19 lockdowns forced them to scale back maintenance routines. A Press Association survey of over 190 councils found 136 are already managing road verges to maximise biodiversity, with another 38 planning to do so.
Wigan Council in Greater Manchester stopped mowing verges when maintenance staff were redeployed during the first lockdown. Dozens of wildflowers sprang up and robins began nesting alongside the A580 to Liverpool. Wigan’s Naturalising the Borough project is now surveying the area for more places where the grass can be allowed to grow. “The pandemic has forced local authorities all across the country to work smarter,” says Paul Barton, the council’s Director for Environment.
Kate Perry, Road Verge Campaign Manager for conservation charity Plantlife, says public awareness has also played a part: “There’s been a shift to people asking for biodiversity and nature where previously they’d have been complaining it wasn’t cut.”