Whose trees and bushes?

Following a few days away in Sussex, I have spent this morning looking at overgrown hedges in the heart of the Division.  It seems that farmers can’t get their combines along the road in question and are very cross about it!

It is normally the landowner living adjacent to the highway who is responsible for keeping it clear of overhanging bushes and trees.  Generally I find that where there is a problem and people do not want to confront the land owner directly,  a reasonable remedy is for the Parish Clerk to send a polite letter asking for action, followed by something stiffer from Highways if necessary.

The problem I was looking at today is rather knotty.  It is by no means clear who actually owns the land on which the offending trees and bushes are growing.  The verge in question is separated from adjacent fields to the south by a quite substantial stream.   We know who owns the land to the south of the stream, but who is responsible for the rather abundant foliage growing on the strip of land between the stream and the highway?   I have written to the long suffering officer for Babergh Highways at the council for guidance.  If I don’t receive any, or he doesn’t think the land is the responsibility of SCC, I fear that this will be a problem that crops up every summer.