Road sweeping, leaf clearance, grass, hedges and shrubs

Road sweeping and leaf clearance

We mechanically sweep all our adopted roads on a scheduled basis; manually clearing those that our mechanical sweeper can’t access. We carry out leaf clearance work in autumn and winter. Two large mechanical sweepers clear leaves from the road surfaces and Council owned car parks, with our two smaller compact sweepers concentrating on cycle-ways, footpaths and other areas that the larger sweepers can’t get to.

Grass cutting

We are taking a new approach to grass cutting across the Borough to help the local environment and encourage greater biodiversity.

We have moved from cylinder mowers to flail mowers, which can cut longer grass and also cut the sward (grass leaf) into smaller lengths that will break down quicker, returning nutrients to the soil. It will also provide greater opportunity for wild flowers and support pollinators, such as bees and butterflies.

A new system of grass cutting is now in place based on a process of managing areas of land in different ways depending on their location and use. For example:

• recreation grounds, sports pitches, cemeteries - grass will be maintained at a shorter length of
  20mm-50mm
• highway verges, parts of public open spaces - grass will be maintained within 20mm-100mm
• conservation areas - public open spaces such as the old golf course and countryside sites will be cut as required.

Hedge cutting

Alongside Hampshire County Council we are responsible for maintaining non-privately owned hedges on an annual basis so that they retain their shape and size. The majority of this work is carried out during the autumn and winter. We don’t undertake work during the birds nesting season, unless there are public safety concerns. 

Shrub beds

We run a scheduled programme of shrub maintenance which includes pruning & mulching, the removal of weeds and litter clearance as required.