Agenda item

To receive a report by the Head of Highways, Facilities and Environmental Services on the respective policies of Denbighshire County Council and the North & Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency (NMWTRA) with respect to verge/ hedge maintenance and pesticide application (copy enclosed).

10:05am – 11:00am

The Lead Member for Highways, Environmental Impact, Waste and Sustainable Travel presented the report (previously circulated) alongside the Lead Member for Housing and Communities, and the Head of Highways, Facilities and Environmental Services. There were also David Evans, Deputy Head of Service and Mark Watson-Jones, Environmental Co-ordinator from the North & Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency (NMWTRA).

The report was presented to members at the Committee’s request after it had considered the Council’s draft Biodiversity Duty Delivery Plan in the summer of 2019.  In addition information had been requested on the Council’s use of pesticides.  Members were seeking assurances that Denbighshire’s highways verge/hedge maintenance policies and pesticide application policies were being applied consistently across the county.  As three trunk roads, which were the responsibility of the North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency (NMWTRA), traversed the county representatives from NMWTRA had also been invited to the meeting to discuss with the Committee its policies in relation to verges/hedge maintenance and pesticide application. 

During the discussion the Committee was advised that:

·         whilst there had been some considerable media coverage and speculation regarding the safety of Glyphosate and its use, no other effective alternative systemic herbicide had yet been found or developed.  A number of authorities were examining alternative methods and scientists were researching potential alternative products, but to date Glyphosate was the most effective product of its type on the market.  If the Council and NMWTRA were to use alternative methods or products they would either be extremely labour intensive or expensive to purchase.

·         Glyphosate was licensed and used by all UK governments.  At present it was the only practical solution for dealing with weeds across the highways network.  The type of systematic herbicide used by the Council and NMWTRA was an industry standard and was deemed to be completely safe if applied by trained operatives and contractors who conformed with safe working practices on which they received training.  The pesticide was sprayed twice a year on the county’s roads.

·         Other methods, such as hot foam treatment was used in certain areas of the county i.e. Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).  However, its use was limited and therefore it would not be practical to use it across the highway network;

·         Residents were sometimes alarmed to see operatives applying pesticides in public places wearing protective clothing and face masks when members of the public were present and not afforded any protection, however the pesticides were deemed to be safe for the general public.  The reasons why operatives wore the protective clothing was to conform with health and safety rules relating to prolonged exposure to chemicals, as they dealt with them day in day out.  Short-term exposure, such as experienced by the general public, did not pose a health risk

·         Both Denbighshire County Council and NMWTRA were involved with the North East Wales Biodiversity Network, this ensured that all agencies operating in the area applied similar biodiversity and health and safety grass verge cutting and pesticide application practices.  In addition, all highways maintenance contracts were set following a formal tendering process.  The highways authorities drew up the contract specifications which stipulated matters such as the frequency of cuts, chemical application and types of chemicals to be used, all of which were based on current legislation and regulations.  All contracts were monitored to ensure compliance with the contract specification.  Contracts were not always let based on price alone, quality of the work was also a factor.  It was therefore important for elected member to inform the agencies of good as well as of poor quality work;

·         Both the Council and NMWTRA communicated with operatives and appointed contractors in relation to the location of roadside nature reserves and how to protect them during verge cutting and weed spraying exercises;

·         The majority of hedges across the county were in private ownership, therefore responsibility for their maintenance lay with the landowners

Rural members emphasised the need to effectively schedule verge cuts on rural roads to coincide with the variances in the growing season from year to year and also to ensure that the verges were cut before some of the vegetation hardened i.e. cow parsley.  They felt that verge cutting policies therefore required to have an element of flexibility built into them.  On this basis the Committee:  

Resolved: - having examined the current policies of both organisations, and subject to the above observations –

(i)           to receive the report and recommend that the timing of grass verge cuts be adhered to across the county, with a level of flexibility built into it to them accommodate the variances in growing seasons from year to year; and

(ii)          that the Council’s Highways Grass Verge Maintenance Policy be presented to the Committee at its May 2020 meeting for review