Overview

• UK gardeners have been formally warned that trimming hedges this month could lead to prosecution under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
• The Act prohibits cutting farm hedgerows between April 1 and August 31 unless a licence is obtained for exceptional circumstances.
• Domestic gardeners may prune hedges during this period only if no wild bird nest is harmed or destroyed.
• Section 1 of the Act makes it an offence to intentionally damage or destroy a wild bird’s nest while it is in use or under construction, with year-round nest protection.
• Enforcement involves police wildlife crime units, Natural England and its regional counterparts, the Environment Agency, local authorities and partnership bodies.