DORSET County Council is cutting its roadside verges less often in a bid to save money and encourage wildflowers to grow.

Rural highway grass verges are currently cut twice a year. But trials have taken place to reduce the number of cuts, help conserve wildflowers and improve the biodiversity of rural verges.

In urban areas, the highway grass verges are cut six times a year. Mowing usually starts in mid-March and continues cyclically every five or six weeks depending on the weather and ground conditions.

However, the county council says a combination of warm and wet weather has resulted in the green verges and hedgerows of Dorset becoming "lush and luxuriant".

The aim of the trials was to find new ways of managing the verges to produce cost savings. The trials involved different methods of management to reduce the soil fertility within the verge itself and decrease grass growth. A spokesperson for the county council said: "The exposed subsoil has a lower fertility compared to the topsoil and will require little maintenance once initial weed growth is suppressed. Removing cuttings rather than allowing them to rot will reduce fertility and cutting frequency. The verges where bare mineral rock is exposed may require no annual cutting for up to 10 years. Those verges which have been harvested may only need one cut and collect after a few years."

Both types of trial area can develop into wildflower rich meadows which are attractive and help provide a valuable source of nectar for bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects.

Cllr Daryl Turner, the council’s cabinet member for the natural and built environment, said: “If we can encourage wildflower rich verges alongside the almost 5,000 miles of our rural roads it will have a fantastic effect on pollinating insects which are vital for our agriculture.”

British conservation charity Plantlife recently reported a 20 per cent drop in diversity of wildflowers, putting bees at risk as plant ‘marauders’ take over.

Dr Trevor Dines, Plantlife botanical specialist, said: “Our once colourful and botanically diverse road verges are becoming mean, green thickets where only thuggish species can thrive and more delicate flowers are being driven to the brink of extinction.”