Grass cutting

We cut grass to ensure that people can use roads and pavements safely. It is carried out for highway safety reasons rather than to enhance the appearance of the area.

View the grass cutting schedule.

Update June 2024:

We cut grass verges, amenity open spaces and some communal gardens 12 times a year between March and November. The current sporadic weather conditions mean that grass is currently at accelerated growth and coupled with wet ground conditions has slowed down the speed of the cut. We are working closely with our contractors, who have brought in additional resources, to get back on track as quickly as we can. 

We cut the grass to a safe length, but we also leave some areas with longer grass to enhance biodiversity. We will also strim around obstacles, although this may be a few days later. Our contractors work to routes on a cyclical schedule so we may be cutting the grass in the same area at different times. 

We are unable to cut the grass if it is too wet as it may damage the ground surfaces, and we do not collect grass after it has been cut as this improves the soil. 

Grass areas we cut

Many of our grass verges are owned by Hertfordshire County Council.

We work with them to cut the grass on:

• highways
• verges
• public open spaces
• parks
• town centres
• memorial gardens.

We do not cut the grass that is on privately owned properties/estates.

The wildflower grasslands are located here:

• Southway – Hatfield (includes Travellers Lane roundabout)
• Woodhall Park
• Stanborough Green – Land opposite Herts Police HQ
• The Ridgeway – A section on opposite side to Weltech Centre
• Waterend Lane – up on banking
• Old A1 near Red Lion, Ayot Green
• The Quadrangle – a section of the centre green area
• Rear of Council offices
• Areas of the Black Fan Lagoon and Black Fan Road

How often grass is cut

Grass cutting is dependent on the weather and ground conditions.

• Amenity areas (grass verges, amenity open spaces and the council's communal gardens in housing areas) are cut 12 times a year between March and November. 
• Areas such as town centres are cut 30 times a year, at one or two week intervals.
• Rural highway verges are cut twice a year (a metre strip is cut from the back edge of the kerb or pavement).
• Areas designated as Conservation Grasslands, Wildflower Grasslands, or Ecotones are only cut once a year.

We will not cut the grass if it is too wet and we do not collect grass after it has been cut as this improves the soil. 

The grass is cut by mowers. Any obstacles, including posts, trees, street name plates, will be strimmed around.