Does anyone know if there is a law/bye law against farmers leaving hedge clippings all over the roads.
Its like running the gauntlet near here with thorns in the road. The other day whilst on my way to work I got two punctures, it makes for a very long journey and it can be unsafe especially a downhill puncture.
Ive just spotted another farmer merrily cutting away and he aint clearing the mess up. So that makes the lanes effectively impassable for bikes.

If so, I may have to invoke it on my Dad, who leaves me punctured when I pop over on the bike at every available opportunity right now.

I know that it may be sad to know these facts but strangely enough i do know the answer.

The farmer or contractor that is doing the cutting must clean up the clippings. If they don't clean it up you should phone up the local environmental health department of your council and they will send out a road sweeper to clean it up. If they do this they bill the farmer for the work most probabally at a highly inflated price.

i doubt the farmer would leave the mess on the road again after a billing from the loacl council!! :-)

I live on a in the country on a farm and the Hedges down our 1/2 mile lane has just been cut. So to get on the road I had to go through a bean field that scratched my legs badly. On the rest of my training route around lanes the hedges were always being cut. Luckily after a whole summer holdiay of training on roads which have just been cut I haven't had a puncture yet.
(knowing my luck I'll look at my bike and both wheels will be flat after
saying the above). Interresting to
hear about the council thing. I'll be one the phone tommorrow reporting lots of farmers(exept my dad!).


P.s if you haven't answered my questionaire please do, thanks.

A cycling club (may have been one based around Preston I think) once succesfully sued a farmer for multiple punctures and abandonement of a club ride due to him not cleaning up thorns. But they'll still carry on doing it won't they?

Oooh bitchy, bithcy. Just come back from the South Downs way (fuel crisis or not), so I probably have got out more than you recently.