Why is it that farmers and contractors do not fit the collection boxes to hedgecutters and stop scattering the cuttings all over the roads. I recently took my boys out for a bike ride and ended up with 2 bikes with punctures because of thorns. It is time some consideration was given to road users and you might get some sympathy votes if you cared not only for the environment but the people who have to live with it. I am not the omly person complaining about this lack of care and it can only be a matter of time before someone has a major tyre blowout and is killed. I also know of numerous people who have had thier car tyres punctured to the extent the tyre had to be replaced. Please consider other people and stop just thinking of yourselves

Perhaps you would prefer it if Farmers and Contractors left the road side hedges to grow uncurtailed, so that in three or four years time they will be 3 metres tall and creeping across the roads , Then cars would have scratch marks down both sides , more accidents because the hedges are so high you can't see what is coming , and you and your boys will be cycling down the road saying " it's about time those farmers cut their hedges so we can see the countryside" !!!!! Lifes to short Patterson!!!

I dont have a problem with hedge cutting just the irresponsibility of not fitting the collection boxes so that it keeps the roads clean. It is not a great deal to ask for you to stop the damage you are doing now to the cars and bikes tyres. It might appear by your reply that you have shares in a tyre repair company or you dont care about anyone else but farmers.

I think you are Victor Meldrew. If you could point us in the direction of someone who supplies these collection boxes we would be glad to use them.

what are these collection boxes you are talking about? What planet are you from? Flymo don't make a hedge cutter! Maybe we should just nip down to B & Q and buy a Qualcast! Then of course we need a wheelbarrow (one of those with the orange ball wheel should do) to take away the clippings, and then we just need a compost heap every 50 yards all the way down the A1! Collection box, my arse!

Mad contractor did say his arse.

How about you come behind and sweep up after us. DEFRA officials can help you too so they can have something to do and stop wasting everybody elses time with their new rules and regs that have to be obeyed or else.

Round here where I live they do sweep the lanes afterwards, just got to wait for the sweeper to catch up with the cutter. If cars overtake the sweeper in a rush to get some place what do they expect!!!

This guy has a fair point, if you are working on the roadside you can have a blower fitted to blow the trimmings back into the hedge. I believe it is compulsory in Holland.

pRatterson! Obviously you live in a nice little village with lots of rolling english countryside around it. 1. Do you realise that the farmers make the countryside look the way it does. 2. Do you also realise that 100% of farmers are struggling to make a living off the land. 3. Do you realise that those little collection boxes cost money. 4. Do you realise your being total anti countryside. 5. Do you realise that your village will be surrounded by over grown grass and weeds in 5 yrs time if people like you persist in hassling farmers for something that is so trivial like your bike tryes. 6. Do you realise that the council are in charge of quite a few hedgerows and grass verges. Ring them up. pRatterson - DO YOU REALISE? OBVIOUSLY NOT!

This guy has a point, All the messages on here in response are rude and ignorant. Why the hell should this chap know how hedge trimmers work. We all know that a collection box is not an option, why should he know I do not know everything about everything. This chap lives in the countryside it is his option, he is not hassling farmers and he is a customer of our produce. Great response from everyone welldone NOT, a polite answer of facts would have been far more appropriate. How selfish you all sound.

In farming at the moment there is little to make fun about give some slack we are just enjoying a little wind up. Same as if someone asked how much milk the bull produces. It should be everyones duty to understand how the peasants work.

or you could sweep them up with a brush on the bucket

I must confess I have never heard of a collection box for hedge cutters. As I understand it, the cutting of road side hedges is actually the responsibility of the council, although farmers often get lumbered with the job as they have the gear to do it and councils can illafford to splash out new hedge cutting equipment. So maybe a little word with your local councelor would be five minutes well spent.

There seems to be this opinion going around that when a farmer does something that someone else doesn't much appreciate, they have done it just to annoy the general pubilc. Case in point, when the farmer trims the hedges on the roads, he does so at the behest of local government to allow the free passage of Tax Paying road vehicles. At present there isn't the technology to collect the trimmings so when they fall on the floor, it's isn't a meliscious act on the part of the driver, it's just that there is no where else for them to go. Some councils do have their own hedge cutting equipment which does exactly the same thing as farm owned trimmers. Perhaps the council could come along and sweep the roads after??

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 Anyone who deposits debris on the road is supposed to clear it up. I know it is not that simple.If someone had an accident or damage was caused to their vehicle and they could prove the cause then they would be entitled to sue.

I am not a farmer but live and take a great interest in the countryside.

 

As a matter of interest, I was doing some muckaway work with network rail a few years ago and everytime I left the site 2 operatives cleaned the wheels and thay also had a roadsweeper out on the road. When the work was complete and they had to take their wheeled laoder back to the compound they cleaned every bit of debris from the tyres before it went on the road.