Grass cutting

Find out how and when we cut the grass in parks and on grass verges in Torbay.

Grass cutting on verges May and June update from SWISCo

The gardeners amongst you will recognise that a combination of lots of rain and warm weather makes the grass grow far more quickly than usual. Plus, the wet weather we’ve been having lately further limits our grass cutting opportunities. Controlling grass growth in May and June is always notoriously difficult and we appreciate that the grass verges look untidier than you or we would like them to be. We now have a full complement of staff back on grass-cutting duties – that’s nine operatives covering the Bay area and whose sole remit is cutting the grass on highways and verges; while we continue to stick to our 6-weekly cutting schedule, nature has other ideas at this time of year! Please can we therefore ask that you bear with us over these coming weeks, and, by the end of June, we should have the grass verges looking at their best again.

Grass cutting is a service carried out, on our behalf, by SWISCo, a Torbay Council company.

SWISCo looks after a huge area of grass, as big as about 200 football pitches, on the sides of roads and in parks all around Torbay. When it’s the start of the growing season, it can be tricky because the grass and weeds shoot up really fast when there’s lots of sunshine followed by rain.

We take care of lots of different places in Torbay, like parks, places to play, and the grassy bits at the side of the road. SWISCo and a team from Glendale Grounds Management Ltd. work together to do this.

It’s important to us to meet the expectations of the locals for their environment, while also considering the most up-to-date national methods in our tasks.

Why is grass left to grow in some instances?

As public perception of the local environment changes, SWISCo receives as many enquiries and requests for grass to be left long and ‘rewilded’ as it does for areas to be cut on a regular basis and kept short. There are now many areas across Torbay where the cutting regime is tailored to finding a balance between these often-conflicting aspirations. An example of such a conflict is No-Mo May which has gained a lot of interest, while others say it lulls insects and other pollinators into a false sense of security, if only to be mown again in June!

There are, nevertheless, some circumstances where we are leaving the grass to grow, for example:

Biodiversity: longer grass helps to increase biodiversity and helps nature to thrive. In some of the parks and open spaces where the grass is not used for sport and recreation, areas will be left to grow long over the summer to benefit wildlife such as bees and butterflies. Often the teams will regularly mow paths through these areas so they can be enjoyed by local residents. At the end of the summer these areas will be trimmed and the cuttings collected to ensure they do not become overgrown and the biodiversity and wildflowers improve year on year.
Trees: In some areas the grass under the tree canopy has been left longer. This is to improve tree health and longevity (leaving the area longer helps retain the health of our trees and reduce compaction under the tree root zone, and reduces bark damage from strimmers and mowers. In many areas grass is being left longer around the bases of trees to avoid damage to the roots by the weight and cutting deck of the mower but to also help support the bee lines.
Aesthetics: Allowing for natural wildflowers and bulbs to grow adding more colour to our beautiful Bay.

Blue hearts

Some of Torbay’s grass verges will be turning blue to help local wildlife, increasing plant and insect biodiversity while also supporting our ongoing commitment to tackling climate change.

Blue hearts have been installed across Torbay to support the national blue campaign to rewild council land and roadside verges.

There are currently blue hearts in the following locations:

Armada Park
King George V playing fields / Easterfield.
Churston/Bascombe Road former Car Park
Hampton Lands (St. Marychurch)
Stanley Gardens Paignton
Summercourt Way Brixham
Ashfield Gardens Torquay
Stoodley Knowle (near Community Café)

Methods of cutting

To save resources and help the planet, big areas of grass are cut by large mowers pulled by tractors. These large mowers can’t reach small corners or thin strips of land, so another team comes later with smaller mowers and tools to trim those spots. Sometimes, the two teams don’t work on the same day, so there might be a little wait before the big spaces are cut and the edges are all neat and tidy.

Cutting carried out by residents

In some places, people would like the grass near their homes to be trimmed more often, just like they do in their own gardens. We’re really happy if residents want to look after these areas themselves, as long as they are careful and stay safe while doing it.

How to report issues

If you would like to report an area please contact the SWISCo on 01803 701310 or at info@swisco.co.uk.

This page was last updated over three months ago