RESIDENTS are being urged to trim their bushes.

West Sussex County Council is reminding homeowners it is their responsibility to stop bushes, hedges and trees growing over roads

Homeowners are being asked to prevent their hedges and trees becoming problems on the roads and pavements next to their properties.

The owner or occupier of a property is legally responsible for ensuring adjacent roads and pavements are not obstructed by vegetation.

Although the Highways Act 1980 does not specify measurements for the overhanging vegetation, the requirements are:

• For pedestrian areas, cut back to the boundary and a minimum headroom of 2.3 metres

• For the carriageway and an area immediately adjacent to it, the requirement is to cut half a metre back from the boundary and a minimum headroom of 6 metres.

With bird nesting season over, highways officers are urging people to see if they need to trim back overhanging vegetation now, rather than wait for an official reminder to arrive in the post.

Councillor Bob Lanzer, West Sussex County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Infrastructure, said: “Overhanging hedges and other vegetation can cause various problems, including obscuring road users’ views of potential dangers, and obstructing pavements for people using disability buggies and parents pushing prams."