Gardeners have been warned they face unlimited fines and prison time if they break the law around trimming hedges, with one month in particular a crime to prune
UK gardeners are being put on high alert with the threat of facing unlimited fines for the seemingly innocent act of hedge trimming this June.
The green-fingered enthusiasts could be slapped with hefty penalties or even prison time if they fall foul of laws protecting farm hedgerows, which are off-limits for cutting from April 1 to August 31 without a special license due to bird nesting season. Wood Street Care Leicester issued a stark warning: “You must avoid the bird nesting season, which runs from March to August.”
They also clarified that hedges can be safely trimmed after New Year’s Day up until the end of February, but stressed: “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.”
Husqvana highlighted the legal implications under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, stating: “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. That includes consciously using a hedge trimmer when there is a bird’s nest in your hedge, and in the process of doing so, causing the nest to be damaged or destroyed.”
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has issued a stern warning to gardeners about the legal risks of damaging active bird nests, which can occur during routine activities like hedge trimming, reports Birmingham Live. It cautions: “The moment it becomes active, it is illegal to destroy it”.
Highlighting the severity of the law, the RSPB emphasises: “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.”
