A Leitrim Councillor is calling for greater pressure to be put on forestry owners to ensure they cut overgrown hedgerows at the sides of roads.
The September meeting of the Ballinamore Municipal District heard that the local authority has spent an estimated €50,000 this year already on cutting back hedges and grass verges at junctions and roadways throughout the county.
According to a Council official, approximately 300-400 notices are issued by the Council each year to landowners urging them to cut overgrown hedges that are impacting on roadways, but 90% of the notices are issued to domestic landowners and not forestry plantations.
Leitrim County Council offers a special scheme where landowners can get a grant to cut 1 km of hedgerows, but it's understood that take-up has been below what the local authority anticipated.
Councillor Paddy O'Rourke claims sending out enforcement notices needs to be followed by strong action from the local authority.
