A FINE balance has to be struck when it comes to looking after green spaces alongside the county's roads, says Dorset Council.

Roadside verges start to go wild in the summer and while council officials say they want to encourage growing to help wildlife, they also insist roads must be kept safe.

Letting the verges grow helps bees and butterflies and also saves money, they say.

Dorset Council environment portfolio holder Cllr Ray Bryan said: “Our primary duty with regards to roadside verges is one of safety, which we take very seriously.

"But, we, like many residents can see the benefit of letting the verges grow, where possible. Through our pollinator action plan, we want to actively encourage more bees, butterflies and moths to thrive in Dorset.

"Our action plan also enables us to make significant savings – we save around £93,000 a year by only cutting rural road verges when needed.

"We also no longer use topsoil when creating new road verges, as the subsoil results in wildflower rich grass which is of greater use to pollinators and costs less to manage."

Urban roads in the Dorset Council area usually receive around six or seven cuts per year

A Dorset Council spokesman said: "In some places where we have the right machinery we are cutting and collecting the grass.

"This allows us to cut the verge less frequently than usual and by removing the clippings, we leave the verge neat and tidy.

"This helps extend the time between cuts and helps wildflowers to thrive."

The rural cutting programme covers all verges on roads above 30mph, while urban cutting takes place on roads with speeds under 30mph.

The total length of rural roads being cut in Dorset is 1,672 miles.