Parishes set to gain hedge control powers
Friday 11th June 2010, 2:29PM BST.
PARISH constables could soon have the rights to impose penalties on those who fail to cut their hedges.
Guernsey Douzaine Council chairman Deputy Shane Langlois said the Policy Council was taking proposals to the States this month that would make failure to cut hedges a civil offence rather than a criminal one.
That would enable constables and douzeniers to be given powers to impose penalties themselves, albeit with safeguards such as a right of appeal to a tribunal.
‘Under current legislation failing to cut back vegetation on your roadside hedges is a criminal offence and the parish constables have no rights to enforce the law,’ said Deputy Langlois.
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The constable also seem powerless to prosecute the many islanders who obviously have no respect for the island and fail to clear up after cutting hedges and banks.
I have suffered punctures to my bike and car tyres from such debris in the past.
The country side is a mess at the moment, at a time when the island has a considerable number of tourists – what must they think? Drains will be blocked when it rains and the roads made dangerous in wet conditions particularly for cyclists and motor cyclists.
The notice which the constables place in the press twice a year requiring people to cut their hedges clearly state that cuttings must be removed from the road.
I have phoned the St Peters constables in the past, and they didn’t really want to know, saying it’s too difficult to prove where cuttings come from. I would say it’s not too difficult if there are cuttings next to a hedge or ban that has been cut
I also once challenged one of the tractor drivers using his hedge cutting equipment and he said he didn’t have to bother as “the states will clear it up”. I would suggest that is one unnecessary cost he states could do with out at the moment.
Why should the majority of islanders have to pay the cost of clearing up after these people who have no respect for the law or the island? The constables should make an example of a landowner and/or contractor to discourage this anti social activity.
In St Peter’s I believe that the offenders include the Bests Nature Reserve and Societe Guernesiaise.
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I hope they will start enforcing the clearing up of hedge cuttings too. So many people get a tractor to cut hedges now but it’s rare that any of them sweep and clear the cuttings from the road. These cuttings block drains and the wind blows them onto peoples drives and paths
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In response to the blame aimed at La Societe Guernesiaise, I have to put the record straight. All of our hedges, apart from the Colin Best Nature Reserve are cut by contractor, and then swept either by myself or by volunteers from our membership.
The Colin Best NR hedges are cut by the farmer who grazes the land with his sheep. I have recently spoken to him about the cuttings. On this occasion, he has asked me to do it but he will arrange the sweeping in future.
Of course, new members with brooms would be most welcome to join us after the autumn hedge cutting in September!
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Frank, you will be pleased to know that I went out with my wife this evening and swept up the cuttings around the edge of the Colin best NR.
As I’ve already said, all other Societe Guernesiaise properties have volunteers assigned to them for sweeping. If you come across any of our land which isn’t cleared, feel free to contact us.
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I would like to know why we as private residents who always cut our hedges on time AND clear up immediately have parish constables etc checking up after the 15th June to ensure that it has been done – yet farmers cut their hedges with those dreadful machines and always leave the mess behind. Also private households that have the hedges cut with those machines rarely seem to clear up afterwards. If we have to have hedges cut by the 15th June how come that doesn’t seem to apply to the states and the parish owned land, in many cases bordering roads etc !!!!!
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