He is getting fed up of me! I asked him if the county ecologist had been involved - he said he had cleared it with the council 18 months ago and it was classed as a regeneration scheme so they didn't need to be involved.It is illegal to disturb bird nests and to cut back hedgerows before 1 Sept. You need to mobilise those on social media. Can you email someone at your local wildlife trust?
Daughter says it’s a disaster for the slow worms and other reptiles too if undergrowth is cut back at this time of year. Long grass and undergrowth should be cut back once a year in the autumn and then to no less than 6 inches high which suits both the pollinating plants and the reptiles
Can he be persuaded to turn it into a community wildlife garden ? The wildlife trust would advise and Springwatch has made this idea very trendy. He might take that on board.
Told me that his team are used to working with wildlife protection because they usually strip undergrowth from motorway verges - yeah right - they are all especially concerned with wildlife I don't think!! That's why they strip all the verges of any flowers and plants that insects need at crucial times for them!!
Anyway I have praised his efforts and said I would love to be involved, but subtly said how worried for wildlife I become when I see hedgerows and undergrowth being removed before the legal date of 1st September. As he's a local councillor he shouldn't want to do anything illegally! We'll see!