Sir, – The recent letter on hedge-cutting and wildlife (Bláthín FitzGerald, June 10th) highlights a wider problem with county council roadside hedge and verge management. Too often, the Roads Act 1993 appears to be enforced in a rigid way, with little evidence of genuine hazard and insufficient regard for biodiversity or for the landowners affected.It echoes concerns I have raised about how Carlow County Council applies section 70 of the Roads Act – this came to light recently when notices were served on me where no visibility or other hazard existed, demanding clearance far beyond what was required for road safety. These clearance standards reflect a local practice rather than any national statutory or regulatory standard, and are not referred to in the Roads Act or related regulations.While I fully accept our duty under section 70(2)(a) of the Roads Act to “take all reasonable steps” to ensure that vegetation on our land is not a hazard to road users, the council’s heavy-handed enforcement of the Act leaves landowners with little real choice: either undertake ecologically destructive levels of hedge cutting or face the prospect of substantial fines or court proceedings.With up to 3,000km of hedgerows still being removed each year in Ireland, and severely cut roadside hedges all too evident around the country, current practices and policies are clearly having a profoundly negative impact on biodiversity. At a time of acknowledged biodiversity crisis, public authorities should be leading by example in protecting hedgerows and roadside habitats, rather than degrading them through inflexible and nonstatutory clearance standards. – Yours, etc,ROSEMARY ROONEY,Borris,Co Carlow.