An increase to wildflower verges in East Sussex
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The vibrant verges total more than 125 miles. This is the approximate distance from Lewes to Cambridge!
Rare wildflowers
A rare Lizard Orchid growing in Lewes.
Cutting our verges
This trial is particularly valuable to wildlife; rural road verges can often be the last areas of declining habitats, such as woodland edges, meadows and downland.
Grass cutting decisions are always made from the point of view of road safety. East Sussex Highways cut some verges twice a year for safety, and additional cuts can be requested. You can find out more about grass cutting on the East Sussex Highways website.
Spiked Rampion growing in East Sussex.
Request a wildflower verge
Create a wildlife haven in your garden
There are loads of ways that you can make your own garden or outside space a haven to wildlife. From compost piles, letting the grass grow, building hedgehog homes and more. Find out how to create a wildlife haven in your garden.
Let us know what you think about wildflower verges in the comments below. Do you want to see more wildflowers? Have you spotted any wildlife or rarer flowers thriving?
Great incentive and fully behind
Wilding verges seems to be the go to word for saving money. Unfortunately it’s actually increased the amount of road kill as overgrown verges vastly reduce their line of sight and hearing. Perhaps people should view this from animal’sperspective less than 6”of the ground and try crossing from a prone position, rather than standing and see how far they get?
Also certain roads that have no built in drainage are flooding more often causing more potholes and vehicle damage
Hi, on the contrary, wildflower verges act as wildlife corridors: linear features that provide a safe habitat to link wild spaces, providing opportunities to travel from place to place.
These corridors help protect wildlife, promoting movement and preventing populations from becoming isolated, while encouraging genetic diversity by allowing animals to mix. Without these crucial links, it has been estimated that 40–70% of species could face extinction.
You can find out more about the benefits here: (https://www.countryfile.com/wildlife/wildlife-stories/guide-to-britains-road-verges-history-why-they-are-important-and-threats/)
You can contact East Sussex Highways direct on 0345 608 0193 if you’d like to raise a concern about drainage, or report a problem on the website: https://www.eastsussexhighways.com/report-a-problem
I have been delighted to see the verges left to Mother Nature in my road this summer. There has been an abundance of colour and form. It has been a joy. Thank you Rother
The more wild flower verges the better.
Hi Laura, we have designated wild verges (x3) in Iden parish but we’re told you don’t provide signs. I’d very much like to get the yellow flower signs, as the verges have already been accidentally cut by your operatives. Please let me know how to get hold of them. Thanks, Sam (wilder iden group)
Hi Sam, sorry to hear that. There is a backlog at the moment, so some are without signs. They are all mapped on the grass cutting devices used by our contractors so they know where they are and when not to cut them. Wildflower verges should only be cut once a year and not at all between March and end of August. Please contact East Sussex Highways direct on 0345 608 0193 to discuss this if the verges are being cut more frequently. Best wishes, Laura
Seeing wild flowers is beautiful however not at the expense of road safety. Kings barn lane in Beckley is so over grown that one can hardly see the road. Two cars passing is now impossible.
Hi Mike, you can report a problem with a verge to East Sussex Highways here: https://www.eastsussexhighways.com/report-a-problem/vegetation/grass-cutting Thanks, Laura
Is there a list of the new wildflower verges? Ive applied for an area to be included , but I haven’t heard back, will I have to wait till next year to hear?
Hi Julia, The team are checking that your application has been received. They are all reviewed together in the new year for implementation next year. I’ll let you know when you can roughly expect to hear back about this. Best wishes, Laura
Absolutely delighted that East Sussex is recognising the importance of verges for wildlife. I would love to see more of them. I would also like to see less brutal cutting of hedgerows.
Delighted to see more wildflower verges in East Sussex. Please expand this scheme. Our native wildlife desperately needs it.
Very pleased to learn that grass verges are being cared for with wildflowers and wildlife in mind. However there is a tendency for the vigorous grasses and tough rank weeds to start taking over and the verges get narrower and less suitable for the fine grasses and smaller, more delicate wildflowers to flourish. This is not helped by the cut grass often being left to rot in situ. The photo used to illustrate the wildflower verges is rather misleading as it is a cornfield mix and needs the ground to be regularly turned over to enable those flower seeds to germinate. So I welcome the new regime but have reservations about the detail.
Great idea. But why do you need to erect signposts wherever you do this? Needless extra expense and pointless use of materials?
Hi Jake, the signs were put in to highlight that these are wildflower verges both for the public and contractors, however they are now all mapped on our contractors maps so they know which verges to cut. With this in mind, and the backlog for signs, we are proposing not putting more out at the moment.
The lack of cutting of verges at road junctions is becoming a problem and in some instances likely to cause road accidents where views on awkward junctions have become obscured.
It would seem important that we get the balance right between human life and wildlife. No doubt we can improve things for wildlife with rewilding but we also need to look carefully to ensure we don’t create accident blackspots by allowing long grass to to obscure views of approaching traffic.
We also need to look carefully at many of the more rural roadside footpaths where lack of maintenance and cutting of grass and brambles is leaving the footpaths dangerous or unusable.
Need to try harder to get the balance right and not simply appear to be saving costs by letting things grow.
Hi Ian, The interest in declaring wildflower verges is to protect ecological value, rather than a cost saving exercise at this stage. The council has a statutory duty to cut verges for safety reasons and to ensure visibility for road users. If there’s a problem with a verge you can report it to East Sussex Highways here: https://www.eastsussexhighways.com/report-a-problem
Here in Crowhurst we have five designated wildlife verges so far. The main difficulty we have encountered is that vehicles mount the verge and leave deep gouges along the edge, which we then try to fill in and restore, only for it to happen again. Also, there is a serious plague of cars parking on undesignated grass verges outside houses, which damages and compacts them, and makes them unsightly. Any ideas? If posts were erected, it would only move the problem elsewhere, not solve it, I fear.
Hi Frances, sorry to hear that. I would encourage you to suggest a parking review in affected areas, or contact the parking team for further advice. More information can be found on our website: https://new.eastsussex.gov.uk/parking/parking-reviews/requests-for-parking-restrictions
I am so happy to see the wild flower verges and not only those sown by highways but also those area left uncut at the request of residents. BUT, I am doubtful about the area of docks at the bottom of Prince Edwards Road which I think is the result of work having been done there a few years ago and not being properly re-turfed afterwards. The area of docks is already increasing and nothing else can survive them. Ugly too and even if wild life likes the seeds this is not the place for them. In my view! Grace
I am very pleased that we are making progress on this, however, I would like to say that although the photograph is pretty, it illustrates non-native plants, e.g. pink cornflowers, plus others I cannot identify. Could you obtain the seed from sources which supply genuinely native species as these are surely preferable for British pollinators and other insects.
Hi Jan, this is an interesting point. We don’t put out the seeds, but let me get back to you when I’ve got more detail from the team on this.
Hi Jan, The team have advised that our general approach is not to encourage such mixes as shown in the photo. Our normal approach is to say to people, leave the area unmown for a year and see what comes up. The site can then be assessed and if needed, an appropriate seed mix can be applied. Thanks, Laura
I do like the wild flowers and it’s great to see them in more areas now. It is a bit disappointing that my previous comments about the dangers several of the overgrown verges are creating seem to have been lost.
The Landport Fork on the junction of Offham Road and Nevil road is a difficult junction anyway and the over grown verges are making it quite dangerous. Despite reporting the dangers several time little seems to be done.
It seems that leaving of many verges to become overgrown is just a council cost saving measure at the expense of danger to the cars and pedestrians.
Rewilding in the right places is an excellent initiative, but we have to get the balance right and not see it as a simple cost saving from not cutting the verges and leaving the footpaths and road junctions unsafe.
Hi Ian, apologies for the delay. All comments have been published now. I’ve responded to your original comment and I’ll feedback this message about safety concerns. Best wishes, Laura
Hi Ian, just to confirm that a job has been raised for a steward to inspect this area. Thanks, Laura