Cut it back

Overgrown vegetation is a hazard for blind and partially sighted people. It causes injuries and prevents us from navigating safely and independently. We hope to raise awareness of this issue and create positive change through our #CutItBack campaign. We have also produced some guidance about ‘cutting it back’, and reporting overgrown foliage in your area.

The Highways Act 1980 protects everyone’s right to use and enjoy the highway. But, our streets are increasingly becoming less accessible to blind and partially sighted (BPS) people.

In our Listening month report, over 75 per cent of BPS people told us that “Overhanging branches and overgrown hedges and vegetation were a real deterrent to people and a cause of accidents.”

We consistently hear that people have been hurt, injured and narrowly avoided accidents due to overgrown bushes, overhanging branches and foliage. Sometimes people must walk into the road as there isn’t a safe way to continue on the pavement.

West Sussex SLC member, Clinton is shown walking with his long cane, into a large garden hedge which is protruding onto the pavement.

Clinton, West Sussex SLC member, pictured walking into an overhanging hedge

What we’re doing to change this

Our #CutItBack campaign aims to enable blind and partially sighted people to navigate the streets safely, independently, and with confidence.

We’ve created a series of videos to raise awareness of the barriers BPS people face when navigating the streets. These are to encourage people to cut back their own foliage and report other overgrown vegetation. This video shows a man using a white cane and walking along the pavement being hit in the face by some vegetation on the left side of the screen. The right side of the screen shows the pavement from his perspective.

We also work with local authorities to help them understand the impact that overgrown vegetation has on BPS people. We also encourage them to use their powers under the Highways Act 1980 to maintain safe streets for everyone.

Download our free resource for local authorities on overgrown foliage and vegetation

How you can get involved

Support our ‘Cut it back’ campaign by:

Cutting back your vegetation
Reporting overgrown or overhanging vegetation to your local council
Watching and sharing our videos and posts on social media using our #CutItBack campaign hashtag.You may also want to share your own photos of overgrown foliage with our suggested tweet:

I am supporting @SLCouncils and @PocklingtonHub’s campaign to cut back and report overgrown bushes, trees and shrubs to keep our pavements clear for #blind & #PartiallySighted pedestrians. Support the #CutItBack campaign at: https://bit.ly/3A1JXwm

Asking your neighbours to cut it back
You can also use our letter template to write to your local council about overgrown foliage to address this vital issue.

Use our letter template to write to your local council

This next video shows how blind and partially sighted people navigate the streets safely. It shows a man using a white cane to navigate the pavement safely with a trimmed hedge alongside him. The second and third clips show a man and a woman using white canes to navigate a pavement with overgrown vegetation. A logo appears with the word ‘Danger’ written in black writing against a yellow background beneath a triangular shaped danger sign.

Neatly trimmed row of hedges in front of white gate

Hedge pruningWhile hedges look beautiful and are great for wildlife, they often intrude onto the pavement and become hazardous for blind and partially sighted people. Read more

Sight Loss Council Engagement Manager, Kelly, who is registered blind, walks into an overgrown and overhanging tree whilst walking down the pavement.

Reporting overhanging foliageOn this page, we will look at reporting overhanging foliage to your local authority. Under the Highways Act 1980 section 154, local authorities can require landowners to cut back overhanging branches and vegetation if it endangers or obstructs the passage of pedestrians. Read more

Dave Smith, Engagement Manager for South East England, is pictured next to a large hedge which is overhanging into the pavement. Dave is holding his long cane and looking at the camera.

Blind residents encourage people to cut it backSight Loss Councils and Thomas Pocklington Trust are encouraging residents to cut back and report overgrown trees, bushes and hedges to increase blind and partially sighted people’s independence. We are... Read more

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