Madam,

I am disappointed to see that many verges and hedgerows are being cut so early in the year in this locality.

This began at the start of June and has continued since then.

With such a late spring this year many birds have recently nested and by now may well be producing a second brood.

Wrens and robins, for instance, rely on the protection offered by the dense vegetation of the banks and verges which line the country roads to raise their chicks successfully.

These locations are also home to countless bank voles and field mice which play an important part in nature’s food cycle (owls feed mainly on these small mammals), and many species of wild flowers flourish in this habitat and provide a rich source of nectar for our pollinating insects.

Cutting the verges and banks so soon results in these plants not being given a chance to seed or to bear fruit to sustain the wildlife population later in the year.

The breeding season for birds is generally considered to be from March to the end of August so the impact of early cutting on nesting birds must be considerable.

Yours etc,

Jennifer Lane, Cilrhedyn, Pembrokeshire.

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