Verges, trees and hedges beside roads and footways

In most cases the grass verges beside roads and footways, up to the boundary wall, hedge or fence, are part of the highway. It's our responsibility to maintain the verges, including cutting the grass.

We usually delegate this work to the local district or borough council. In some cases they'll do the work themselves and in others they'll employ a contractor to carry it out.

Taking over maintenance of highway verges

We do receive requests from people wanting to take over the maintenance of highway verges and we'll approve this if we consider the proposal to be suitable and can be delivered in a safe manner. Residents can apply to maintain the verge outside their own property and district, borough or parish councils can also apply to take on verges in their locality.

Application forms for cultivation licences can be obtained by email highways.hub@derbyshire.gov.uk.

Fly tipping

Collection and removal of litter, fly tipped material and abandoned cars from the verge is the responsibility of the local district or borough council.

Emergencies

For out of hours emergencies like fallen trees in storms, please call the police, telephone: 101.

Biodiversity - wildflowers, pollinators and other wildlife

Many road verges can be very rich in wildflowers, which are not only valuable for wildlife like bees, butterflies and other insects, but which are also very attractive to look at.

We've previously worked with other partners such as Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and the Peak District National Park Authority to identify the richest verges which can be protected as road verge reserves (RVRs), and which can be managed to conserve their wildlife value. There are around 37 road verge reserves designated across the county, and we're directly or indirectly responsible for managing 34 of these.

We've asked our partners to assist us in reviewing these RVRs, so we can consider their value and how they might be managed in the future and potentially increase the network of specially protected sites.

Not all flower-rich verges are designated as road verge reserves, however Derbyshire has many miles of road verges, many of which can also be rich in wildflowers. This is probably most often noticed on the rural road verge network, which are only cut once every 3 years on rotation (verges in urban areas have traditionally been cut 5 times a year in the summer months).

This management approach has been in place for many years and is a cost-effective way of preventing the verges from scrubbing up and encroaching on to the road. This approach does have some benefit wildlife too, by keeping the habitats grassy and open, allowing plants to flower and be available to nectar loving invertebrates and provide shelter to thrive.

Ideally, where it is safe to do so, we could manage verges, both rural and urban, like wildflower rich grasslands in the most ecologically appropriate way, by treating them like small meadows, cutting them once (in late summer) or perhaps twice a year, with the 'hay' removed.

This sort of management should allow the verges to support the greatest variety and number of wildflowers. However, due to the frequency and timing of cutting required and the need to collect and dispose of arisings this management regime would be significantly more labour intensive and could also be more expensive than the frequent or rotational cutting currently done.

Following a review of our road verge maintenance approach, guidance has been issued to our district and borough councils to advise on alternative maintenance regimes that will enhance our biodiversity across the county. A copy of this guidance can be requested using the highway policy document request form.