26/08/2026
Hedge trimming rules in the UK are set to change on September 1, and it means you will be able to cut back overgrown bushes at the side of your property.
Hedge trimming rules in the UK are designed primarily to protect nesting wild birds and maintain agricultural land standards.
Every year, from March 1 to August 31, it is a criminal offence to intentionally or recklessly take, damage, or destroy an active wild bird nest while it is being built or in use, under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981.
For garden hedges, while it is not automatically illegal to cut during these months, if you trim a hedge and accidentally destroy or disturb an active nest, you commit an offence carrying an unlimited fine or up to 6 months in prison per instance.
Regulations prohibit cutting or trimming hedgerows on agricultural land during this entire period. On September 1, the main bird nesting season is officially declared over, and hedgerow management rules lift. For householders and landscapers, late August through September becomes the safest window for major cuts, heavy reshaping, and reducing the height of hedges.
During the restricted window, you may trim hedges if they overhang public footpaths or roads, block sightlines for motorists, or obstruct streetlights and traffic signs. Work can be carried out if a structure is dangerous, dying, or poses a hazard to property or livestock.
Farmers sowing early crops (like winter oilseed r**e or grass) can apply for written RPA (Rural Payments Agency) permission to trim in-field hedges starting August 1, provided active nests are checked and left untouched.
Other rules apply to trees, bushes and hedges in the UK. Under property law, you may trim branches extending over your property boundary, but only straight up to the exact property line. You cannot cross the boundary into a neighbour’s airspace without permission.
Trimmings legally belong to the owner of the hedge. You must technically offer the cut branches back to your neighbour before disposing of them (though dumping them over the fence without asking constitutes fly-tipping).
Under the High Hedges Act (Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003), if an evergreen or semi-evergreen hedge consists of two or more trees/shrubs, exceeds 2 metres in height, and severely blocks light to a neighbouring domestic property, neighbours can lodge a formal complaint with the local council.
Councils can issue legally binding Remedial Notices forcing the hedge owner to reduce its height.
✍ Neil Shaw
