Roadside orchids mowed down for third time by council 'vandalism'

A RETIRED landscape gardener is furious after finding that Hampshire County Council's road maintenance teams have once again hacked down a patch of wild orchids on a New Forest verge.

The plants - common spotted orchids - had been growing on the triangle of grass at the junction of the A35 and Lyndhurst Road to Burley before they were mowed down on Thursday last week.

Although this breed of plant is not protected like the UK’s rarer orchid varieties, their loss angered Christchurch resident Doug Hounsome who explained that it is not the first time that the verge had been targeted by “mindless council vandalism”.

Mr Hounsome complained to HCC in 2014 when he found that the plants had been destroyed and demanded answers again in 2016 when the same patch was trimmed a second time.

“Two years ago there was a story in the A&T after I contacted them about the council’s destruction of the orchids growing on the triangle,” he said.

“The site in question was supposed to have a protected status even before I started making a fuss and, as a result of my protests to HCC, they told me that working procedures would be changed to ensure that this never happened again.

“Well, it just did happen again. On the very same week that the orchids started flowering, along came the council mower which proceeded to hack them all down, completely churning up the ground as it did so.”

Cllr Rob Humby, HCC deputy leader and cabinet member for environment and transport, told the A&T that due to the poor visibility at the road junction, the vegetation needed to be reduced for the safety of the travelling public.

“Unfortunately, the vegetation has been cut back more than intended, for which I apologise," he said.

"We will be taking this up immediately with our contractor and will be reiterating the importance of this site as an area of ecological importance."

Unsatisfied with the response, Mr Hounsome said: “It was agreed that any trimming that needed to be done from a visibility point of view, which is not really an issue here as the foliage was not very tall at the time of hacking, would be done late in the season when the orchids have finished.

“Though these are not particularly rare flowers, they and much of the other foliage which is growing alongside them is of particular ecological interest and the whole of the triangle - and the verges between the triangle and Rhinefield Drive - are supposed to be given special consideration.

“Once areas like this are gone, they are gone forever.”

Mr Hounsome has written personally to both Cllr Humby and Hampshire biodiversity officer Nicky Court and is currently awaiting responses.