Gardeners facing 'unlimited fine' and 6 months jail for cutting hedges this week
Gardeners are being warned not to cut their hedges this week as September nears.
Everyone with a garden is being told not to trim their hedges for the remainder of August because it could land you in serious legal hot water with an 'unlimited fine' as well as up to six months in prison.
There's a little known law governing hedges and hedgerows in the UK which applies from March until August.
Though many probably inadvertently may break the law as they whip out the hedge trimmers and the secateurs over the sunny weekend, it's still the case that gardeners could get in trouble if they aren't careful thanks to a little known environmental regulation.
Farm hedgerows cannot legally be cut between April 1 and August 31 at all because of laws to protect nesting birds.
While it's technically legal to trim some types of domestic garden hedges at this time of year, if it causes a bird's nest to be damaged or destroyed then you're still breaking the law.
Wood Street Care Leicester says: "It's illegal to cut your hedges during bird nesting season, which runs from March to August.
"Cutting your hedge during bird nesting season can damage or destroy nests, which is harmful to the birds. It's also illegal to trim hedges on your property if they're taller than 20 metres without permission from the local council."
Under Section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it's an offence to intentionally damage or destroy a wild bird's nest while it is being built or in use.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds backs this up too.
It says that a person is breaking that law if they intentionally damage a bird's nest while it's being used or built, and this applies to trimming hedges.
"The moment it becomes active, it is illegal to destroy it".
Amazingly, breaking this law could land you an unlimited fine and six months in prison, even for a single bird's nest egg being broken.
The RSPB adds: "The consequences for the above, even in the event of harm to a single bird, nest or egg, is an unlimited fine, up to six months in jail or both. Suffice to say, it is certainly not a risk worth taking."
The good news is that September is just around the corner, so gardeners will be free to attack their key garden maintenance like stripping back overgrown hedges from next weekend without risking the ire of the law or damage to bird populations either.
