Hartlepool Borough Council has launched its 2026 grass cutting and weed management programme, with teams working hard across the borough to keep neighbourhoods looking their best.
After an exceptionally wet winter followed by an early spell of warm weather, grass has grown at rapidly, making it much longer and wetter than is usual at the start of the season.
The start of this seasonal work builds on the back of a winter of initiatives as part of the Council’s £1 million Pride in Place campaign which has seen close to 15 miles worth of grass verges edged across the borough. Whilst the start of the grass cutting season in such wet and warm conditions can prove a challenge, The Council says it is confident that as the season progresses, the early interventions of this Pride in Place work will be of benefit in the longer term.
When rotary mowers tackle long, damp grass, the finish can appear temporarily uneven as the weight of the machines presses the grass flat. However, residents are reassured that the quality and appearance of cuts will quickly improve as ground conditions dry out. Similarly, the initial rounds of cutting naturally produce larger volumes of clippings, which break down as they dry. While the Council does not have the resources to clear every footpath after every cut, clippings that land on footpaths also disperse quickly.
Litter trapped in the long grass can also prove problematic and whilst the Council has invested in additional litter collection resources over the winter and the mowers are provided with litter picking equipment; residents are also being urged to play their part by disposing of litter responsibly.
Councillor Owen Riddle, Chair of the Council’s Neighbourhoods and Regulatory Services Committee, said: “We know how much our parks, open spaces and pathways mean to residents which is why we have invested additional resources into this area.
“Whilst the conditions are far from ideal, our teams are working incredibly hard to stay ahead of this year’s exceptional grass growth, and as the season progresses and the weather stabilises our grassed areas will begin to look better.”
Councillor Owen Riddle, front, with members of the grass cutting and weed management teams.
The grass cutting service is delivered using a fleet of nine small ride-on mowers and two tractors with cutting decks, maintaining all Council-managed open spaces and sports pitches across an extensive area of the borough.
The Council’s dedicated weed management team is also operational, using two quad bikes with boom sprayers alongside four on-foot operatives to treat areas twice a year—in early March and early August—with additional treatments throughout the summer when required.
For herbicide treatments to be safe and effective, weather conditions must be dry and calm, so the team continues to work flexibly around changing conditions to keep Hartlepool’s streets tidy.