Council invests £50k in new grass cutting response team
A cash injection of £50k is being made by the county council to set up a new team to cut grass and overhanging vegetation where it poses traffic dangers on Leicestershire’s road network.
They will work as part of Leicestershire County Council’s highways unit to react quickly to any immediate safety risks with the money coming from the authority’s £2.5M ‘service improvement fund’, which is helping fund improvements in local bus services, grit bins, footpath maintenance, grass cutting and weed control.
The council’s 2026 grass cutting programme started in April with around 4.1 million square metres of grass mowed each year.
Working across the spring and summer, 18 staff work through their countywide schedule to keep grass, verges and vegetation neat, tidy and safe across highways and rural and urban areas.
Councillor Andrew Hamilton-Gray, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “Keeping grass trimmed during spring and summer does more than simply make our county look tidier - it’s essential for safe driver visibility and keeping signs clear.
“Our hardworking grass-cutting gangs do a fantastic job throughout the season and putting in this extra money enables us to tackle urgent cutting jobs as speedily as possible.
“We want residents to be our eyes and ears. If you see anything that’s unsafe, tell us so we can get our new crew to help.”
If you want to see where and when grass is set to be cut in the Melton Mowbray area, go to www.leicestershire.gov.uk/grass-cutting to view an interactive map. The cutting season ends in October.