'People spend €25,000 on a new car and it gets torn up,' concerns over hedges in Carlow
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"People spend €25,000 on a new car and it gets torn up," said Cllr Willie Quinn as he expressed his concerns over the size of hedges on roads in Carlow.
"Not being able to cut hedges is a big problem. It's not fair, something has to be done on the roads so cars can pass," he said at the September meeting of Bagenalstown Municipal District.
"There could be two years growth on a hedge and some farmers are not abiding by [hedgecutting laws] and others are afraid to cut over being prosecuted," he added.
Section 40 of the Wildlife Act 1976, as amended by Section of the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000, restricts the cutting of hedges during the nesting and breeding season for birds and wildlife, from March 1 to August 31.
Director of Services, Dan McInerney, said a debate needs to start over hedgecutting and currently "there is no difference between topping [a hedge] and breasting the side of it".
"We were trying to get roads ready and signs visible ahead of the Ploughing and we had to be careful what we did. We get a lot of complaints about hedges being cut but we don't have a policing role, the National Parks and Wildlife Service do," he said.
The Council can trim hedges if they are a driving hazard - even during the March 1 to August 31 ban.
Cllr Quinn highlighted a case where a contractor was fined €800 for cutting a hedge for a farmer as he hit out at the restrictions on hedgecutting which is leading to people's concerns.
Cllr Arthur McDonald said there was a hedge in Ballinabranna and it is "tearing the sides off of cars" and he added that people "trimming the sides" could get prosecuted for doing the right thing.