Vegetation obstructing the highway

Vegetation located on private land is the responsibility of the relevant landowner or occupier

Trees

For issues involving trees, see: Report an issue relating to trees.

Overgrown hedges

Hedges often mark the boundary between private property and the highway. It is the adjacent landowner or occupier who is responsible for the maintenance of the hedges and any other vegetation the hedge contains.

By law, landowners and occupiers must trim any hedge adjacent to a public highway if growth obstructs passage or compromises the safety of highway users.

What happens after you submit a report

We will investigate each report to determine the severity of the issue and clarify the landowner(s) responsible. If the vegetation is growing from:

  • land owned by Hampshire County Council: works will be scheduled, if required, to rectify the issue
  • land that is owned by a 3rd party / someone else: we will contact them and inform them of the required actions and associated timescales

If you have received a letter / notice to cut back vegetation

If you have been contacted by Hampshire County Council about overgrown vegetation, you can find out more on our landowner enquires page.

How should I report my issue?

To report a highways emergency that poses an immediate risk to the public, call either:

  • Phone 0300 555 1388 (8:30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday)
  • Outside of office hours 101
If you are reporting an issue that is very likely to present an imminent threat to life, serious injury or serious damage to property, please report this as an emergency by calling 999.

For all other issues, please use the following form.