HOW TO HIRE · GARDEN & OUTDOOR

How to hire a hedge removal contractor in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register covers hedge removal. Check for nests, the waste carrier number, and whether it is a garden hedge or a countryside hedgerow.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a hedge removal contractor in five steps

  1. Check whose hedge it isA boundary hedge may be shared. Agree removal with the neighbour before anyone cuts.
  2. Avoid the nesting seasonAn active nest stops the job. Autumn and winter removals are the simplest.
  3. Ask about the rootsCut to ground level, stump-ground, or dug out — each is a different price and a different finish.
  4. Check the waste carrier numberA hedge removal fills a van or a skip. It goes with a registered carrier.
  5. Plan what replaces itA fence, a wall or new planting — and whether it needs to be ready the same week.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Neither a licence nor a register is required of hedge removal contractors, whether in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. The checks are the birds, the waste and the boundary, and whether the hedge is in fact a protected countryside hedgerow.

Ask how the roots will be dealt with and where the waste goes, before you agree a price.

Nesting birds

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 in Northern Ireland) makes it an offence to damage or destroy a wild bird's nest while it is in use or being built — and a thick hedge is where garden birds nest from spring into summer.

Ask the hedge removal contractor to look for active nests before cutting, and agree to wait if one is found. legislation.gov.uk →

Waste carrier registration

If the hedge removal contractor loads the cut hedge, brash and roots into their van, they are carrying waste for a business and must be on the register kept by the Environment Agency (England), Natural Resources Wales, SEPA (Scotland) or the NIEA (Northern Ireland).

Check the number on the public register for your nation, and that the name matches. environment.data.gov.uk →

Countryside hedgerows (England and Wales)

The Hedgerows Regulations 1997 cover countryside hedgerows, generally 20 metres or more, on or next to farmland, common land and similar land. They do not apply to a hedge within the grounds of a house or marking its boundary.

If the hedge borders a field or common land, ask the council before removal. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Taking out a hedge is standard-rated, so the VAT is 20%. A hedge removal contractor above the £90,000 turnover threshold must be registered, charge it on the removal, roots and waste, and show the 20% separately.

Ask for the contractor's VAT number and check the 20% is a separate line under the hedge removal price. gov.uk →

“Will you check the hedge for nesting birds first?”

A good answer: Yes, and the job waits if there is an active nest. In spring and summer a thick hedge often has one.

“Is this a garden hedge or a countryside hedgerow?”

A good answer: A contractor who knows the Hedgerows Regulations will ask what the hedge borders and say if the council needs to be asked.

“What will you do with the hedge roots?”

A good answer: Cut flush, ground out with a stump grinder, or dug out with a machine — priced and explained.

“Where does the hedge waste go, and what is your carrier number?”

A good answer: Chipped and taken by a registered carrier, with a number you can check.

“Is the boundary shared, and have you seen where it runs?”

A good answer: A question back about your deeds or the neighbour. A good contractor will not remove a shared hedge on one owner's say-so.

“What will the ground look like afterwards?”

A good answer: Levelled and raked, ready for a fence, turf or new planting, or left rough — agreed in advance.

“Are there cables or pipes along the hedge line?”

A good answer: They ask, and they take care digging out roots near a boundary where services run.

Getting the quote right

  • The length and height of hedge to come out
  • How the roots are dealt with
  • Waste removal and the carrier's registration number
  • Making good the ground afterwards
  • Who actually attends to cut out the hedge and the roots, and whether they are employed or subcontracted
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% shown apart from the removal and waste prices

Walk away if

  • They will cut through an active nest "because it is quicker"
  • No waste carrier number for a van-load of brash
  • They have not asked whether the boundary is shared
  • Cash only and no written quote
LOW
£150
TYPICAL
£275
HIGH
£700

What a hedge removal contractor costs: £150–£700 per job

Hedge removal is priced by the job: the length and height of the hedge, how the roots are taken out and the volume of waste set the price. Hedge Removal price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Hedge removal contractors near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. InspectThe hedge checked for nests, the boundary confirmed, services along the line asked about.
  2. Cut downThe hedge cut down in sections and the brash fed through a chipper.
  3. RootsStumps ground out or dug, depending on what was agreed.
  4. ClearChippings and roots loaded and taken away by a registered carrier.
  5. Make goodThe line levelled and raked, ready for what comes next.

Brash
The small branches and leafy material cut from a hedge.
Stump grinding
Grinding roots below ground with a machine rather than digging them out.
Hedgerow
In the Regulations, a countryside hedge on or next to farmland or similar land.
Curtilage
The land that goes with a house: its garden.
Chipper
A machine that shreds branches into chippings.
Boundary
The legal line between your land and the neighbour's.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the invoice with the carrier numberYour record that the waste went to an authorised person.
Check the line is clearNo stumps above ground if grinding was agreed, the ground levelled, no damage to the neighbour's side.
Plan the replacementA fence or new planting goes in more easily while the line is clear.
Tell others how it wentA short, specific review of the hedge removal contractor — what was done, on time or not, the clean-up — helps the next person. Problems go through make-it-right first.

STEP 1A written complaintEmail or message the hedge removal contractor with what is wrong with the removal, photos and the remedy you want. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you repeat performance first, then a reduction in price if that fails.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the hedge removal contractor under four stars and you are asked whether to send it to them first; we follow it through. Then review.
STEP 3No regulator: Trading StandardsTrading Standards is reached through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline (0808 223 1133) in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) and Consumerline (0300 123 6262) in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Going to courtClaims of up to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland and £5,000 in Northern Ireland against a hedge removal contractor go through the small-claims routes, built for people without a solicitor.

Hiring a hedge removal contractor: questions people ask

Not under the Hedgerows Regulations 1997, which exclude hedges within or marking the boundary of a house's grounds. Nesting birds and a shared boundary still need checking.

Removing a hedge is not, but damaging or destroying an active nest is an offence. In practice a thick hedge in spring or summer has to be checked first.

Most pay around £275 out of a range of £150–£700 a job. For what moves the figure, see the hedge removal price guide; for local hedge removal contractors, search above.

A householder has a duty of care for their waste — in England and Wales under section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, in Scotland under its own version. A registered hedge removal contractor and a receipt are your proof you met it.

If the hedge is on the boundary and shared, yes in practice. Check your deeds and speak to them first.

Yes, cut at ground level, but they may regrow and make a fence harder to fit.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in garden & outdoor

How to hire: Hedge TrimmingHow to hire: Stump GrindingHow to hire: Fencing InstallerHow to hire: Garden ClearanceHow to hire: Tree FellingHow to hire: Tree SurgeryHow to hire: LandscapingHow to hire: Planting & BordersAll 701 hiring guides →

Hedge removal contractors near you

Hedge removal contractors in LondonHedge removal contractors in ManchesterHedge removal contractors in BirminghamHedge removal contractors in GlasgowHedge removal contractors in BelfastAll hedge removal contractors on Locufy →Do it yourself: removing a garden hedge →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, section 1 — protection of wild birds, their nests and eggs
  2. Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985, article 4 — wild birds, their nests and eggs
  3. Hedgerows Regulations 1997, regulation 3 — the hedgerows covered (England and Wales)
  4. gov.uk — register as a waste carrier, broker or dealer (England)
  5. Environment Agency — public register of waste carriers
  6. SEPA — waste carriers and brokers
  7. Environmental Protection Act 1990, section 34 — duty of care
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  9. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track (England and Wales)
  10. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money (simple procedure)
  11. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  12. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  13. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register