Hedges that border a public highway are normally the responsibility of the person who owns or lives on the land next to them - the owner must make sure hedges on the edge of their property do not block the pavement or road, cover road signs, hide streetlights, or make it hard for people to see when driving.
This can include landowners of housing estates (e.g. management companies), farmers who own fields, private land or home owners, or parish councils who own public assets such as parks or open spaces.
If a hedge is causing a problem and the landowner is not dealing with it, Staffordshire County Council, as the highway authority, will write to them to instruct them to cut it back. If the owner still does not act, Staffordshire County Council can do the work and charge the owner for the cost.
If you see a hedge causing an obstruction or a safety risk, and you know who the landower is, you can report it directly to them if you feel comfortable to do so. Or, if you would prefer, or you don't know who the landower is, you can report it to Staffordshire County Council and ask them to take action.
If you want us to cut back a district council owned hedge, please report it to us:
Request us to cut back a district council owned hedge.
*We maintain some hedges on behalf of parish councils, but where we do so, we do it based on the regularity the parish council asks us to go out. As such, if you feel a parish owned hedge needs cutting back more frequently, you will need to report it to the parish council who may then agree to instruct us to go out more regularly.