Grass, weeds and shrubs

A schedule is agreed between ourselves and the contractor prior to the start of the season. Any amendments during the year are agreed by both parties. The contractor provides a weekly update on the progress of the work programme. The contractor is also required to carry out an element of self-monitoring and submit the results to us. We then carry out sample monitoring of the contractors self-monitoring.

• Soft surfaces are treated with weed killer once or twice a per year
• Hard surfaces treatment vary between 2 and 5 times per year

The frequency of treatments throughout the borough varies depending on the growth rate of the weed within the areas. Some areas experience a greater amount of weed growth than others, due to a number of reasons, including:

• neighbouring vegetation
• make-up of the road and pavement surface – weed growth is generally greater on paved areas than tarmacked areas

Unless you have the appropriate licence and direct approval from the council, it is against the law for anyone apart from the council's contractor to apply weed killer on public land. 

The weed killer works programme is subject to change during unsuitable weather conditions, such as:

• during or immediately after rainfall
• high or gusty winds
• extremely high temperatures (above 30 degrees Celsius)

For the majority of roads and pavements within Redbridge, the weed killer is applied manually by a member of staff. The member of staff walks the street with the weed killer within either a knapsack on their back, or a lance, where the weed killer is located within the lance.

On rural roads (areas that generally do not have footpaths) and central reservations, a specially equipped vehicle is used to apply the weed killer as it is considered too hazardous to apply it manually.

Types of weed killer

There are two types of weed killer used in Redbridge:

Contact weed killer

This controls weeds that it comes into direct contact with and is absorbed by the plant, so it also reaches the root system of the plant. It becomes inactive on contact with any other surface, e.g. paving or soil. This weed killer is used on both hard and soft surfaces. We use Roundup ProVantage which is a Glyphosate based weed killer.

Residual Weed Killer

This is used on soft surfaces only and is applied directly to the soil, where it creates a shallow barrier on the surface of the soil, that inhibits any seeds within that area, from germinating; this means it prevents weeds from starting to grow.

This weed killer is normally applied only once in the year. The success of this weed killer varies greatly, depending on weather conditions. Extensive or heavy rain can dilute the weed killer and wash it out of the ground. We use Pacaya which is a herbicide that contains flazasulfuron.

On occasion, a moss killer is also applied to areas where there is significant moss growth.

Timings can vary depending on the type of weed and the weather conditions. Generally, the weeds will take two to three weeks to fully die. However, grass tends to die a lot quicker and broadleaf weeds (such as dandelions) can take longer.

Some weeds are more resistant to the weed killer and may take much longer to die. In some cases, certain species of weed are removed manually due to their resistance to the weed killer.

Weeds take longer to die if the temperature is low (below 8 degrees Celsius) or high (above 30 degrees Celsius).

The weeds are not generally removed once they have died, but disperse naturally. Where weed growth is prolific, the street cleansing team may remove the larger weeds when they have died.

In roads where there is pavement parking it may not be possible to treat weeds under a car. Therefore, once other weeds die and the car moves, there may be 2 metre stretches of kerb where weeds are still growing. Operatives will not return out of programme to treat these areas and they should be treated during one of the next programmed visits.

As part of our community gardening initiative, residents are encouraged to apply in December to adopt street tree pits for planting with wild flowers.  The application period is over and we received an overwhelming response to adoption and over 1,300 tree pits have been adopted across the borough.

Since 2021 we will be planting replacement street trees with blue labels on them and we would like your help to adopt and water the tree outside your house without having to complete a tree pit adoption application in the first year.

To find out more about how to adopt and water a tree on the highway to help encourage tree growth and blossom in your area, please visit our Adopt and water a tree page for more information.

Grass cuts each year will vary, as some locations are managed differently for a specific reason. There are three main categories:

Grass verges

There are about 240 highway grass verges in the 22 Redbridge wards, covering 165,000 square metres. The verges are cut eight times each year on a six-week cycle.

The cutting starts in March and generally is completed in November or December.

The programme is subject to alteration due to weather and ground conditions.  Cutting is not carried out in heavy rain or if the ground is too soft due to waterlogging.

Cutting may be suspended in periods of prolonged hot weather when the grass dies back. This is to prevent damage to the grass and ground surface.

Rural Road verges

Verges adjacent to farmers fields and in non-residential areas (mainly in the Aldborough and Hainault wards) are cut twice per year, to maintain sight lines for motorists.

For safety reasons, this work is generally carried out using a tractor, with a cutting arm attached to it.

Redbridge Council is  promoting bio-diversity schemes and wildflower meadows on the highway; through this initiative the area on the highway now covered by Grow Zones is 21% of the total area at the following highway locations :

The grass at these locations is being left to grow to encourage wildflowers and grasses to sow their seeds. The areas are cut and collected once or twice a year,  depending on rate of growth and location, in the summer (July) and/or winter (November-February) to improve the range of species the Grow Zones can support.  The frequency of cutting at each site is detailed in the above table.

In 2021 and 2022, five sites were monitored to make a note of wildflower and grass species during the year. 116 different plants were identified in 2021 and 162 in 2022, showing an increase in biodiversity between the two years.

Species identified in 2022 are listed below and this helps to show the biodiversity benefit of reducing the frequency of mowing. 

Redbridge Council operates a Framework Agreement Contract (FAC) for grounds maintenance works.  All companies included on the FAC have been vetted and approved to carry out work on behalf of the London Borough of Redbridge. Contractor monitoring is carried out by both the contractor and the council to ensure the schedule is adhered to and works are to the required standard.

The cuttings are not removed following the cutting operation, but are left atop the grass verge. During windy or wet conditions, the cuttings may blow off the verge onto the road and pavements. It may not be possible to blow the cuttings back onto the verge and the cuttings will be left on the road or pavement to disperse naturally.

All visible litter should be removed before cutting the grass verges and removed immediately on completion of the cutting operation.  The Council’s  Street Cleansing Service works with the contractor on rural roads and biodiversity/wildflower site operations, removing any exposed or shredded litter shortly after the cutting operation is completed.

Bulky items or fly-tipping will not be removed but cut around. The contractor is required to report any issues that prevent the grass from being cut to the council.

Find out more about litter removal and fly tipping 

Where bulbs (mainly daffodils) have been planted in the grass, the grass is not cut until at least the end of May. This period allows the bulbs to flower and after flowering the bulbs need to be left for a minimum of six weeks to store energy in the bulb so it can flower the following year.

The following could potentially damage verges:

• vehicles parking
• utility or maintenance
• uneven surfaces caused by vehicle wheels
• excessive stones or debris left on the grass verge

Where the above occurs, areas of verge will be left uncut until it has been repaired.

The table below shows roads and car parks where there are shrubs and hedges that are part of the highway pruning programme. The information displays what activities are planned during the summer (June-August) and the autumn/winter periods (October-February),  the four types of activities each season are: Pruning will be carried out, no work to be completed, an inspection will be carried out to consider if work is required or extra work to be carried out to reduce overlarge shrubs . Once the status of the Winter pruning in each road is known, a programmed completion date for work will be added to the table below. 

Roses are pruned once per year in February. Weeds within rose beds are not removed by hand but are treated with herbicide at the start of the year.

Generally, the pruning clippings are removed immediately following the pruning operation and the surrounding area left tidy. On occasion, the clippings may be mulched and left on the bed to allow the nutrients to return to the soil and aid future growth.

Dead shrubs can be removed but not replaced. We are considering a replacement planting programme subject to funding.

If utility (gas, electricity, water) companies carry out work that requires the removal of shrubs within the highway, the council work closely with the utility company on the reinstatement of the areas damaged and shrubs, during the planting season starting in November and ending in March.

To adopt a public space for community gardening, please visit our Spruce up your neighbourhood page and see the community gardening section for more information.