By the middle of October, the gardens around Lathom start to show what a summer of growth has done. Tree and hedge work in Lathom suddenly moves up the list. Leylandii boundaries have pushed a metre higher, and the beech hedge along the lane is leaning over the verge. The sycamore by the drive drops branches onto the car every time the wind picks up. This is the time of year people finally tackle it. It is also one of the jobs customers ask us about most once the leaves turn.
Why Autumn Is the Right Time for Tree and Hedge Work in Lathom
There is a good reason to wait until now. The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 protects active bird nests, and the main nesting season runs roughly from March to August. Cutting back a hedge in June risks disturbing a nest you cannot see from the ground. By autumn and winter, that risk has largely passed and the sap is down. With the leaves falling, you can also see the shape of what you are cutting. It is still worth a careful look before you start, but the timing is on your side.
Check for Protected Trees First
Before any felling or heavy reduction, check whether the tree is protected. A Tree Preservation Order can cover a tree, and trees in a conservation area have their own rules. For Lathom, the body to ask is West Lancashire Borough Council as the local planning authority. A quick check before the saw comes out is far easier than putting things right afterwards. Hedges and ordinary garden shrubs are usually straightforward. However, mature specimen trees in older gardens are exactly the kind that sometimes carry an order.
Large Gardens and Mature Boundaries Around Lathom
Lathom is a scattered rural parish rather than a single village. It spreads between Ormskirk, Burscough and Skelmersdale, with the Leeds and Liverpool Canal running through it. Many homes here are detached houses, converted farm buildings and cottages set in large plots. Their long hedged boundaries have often grown unchecked for decades. A single autumn cut on a garden like that can produce far more material than people expect. Clearing a full length of overgrown laurel or conifer can fill a large container on its own, before anyone touches the trees.
The other thing to plan for is access. Long drives and gravel turning areas often give plenty of room for a skip off the road. If it sits on your own drive, you need no permit at all. Where it has to sit on the lane, the permit comes from Lancashire County Council as highway authority, not the borough council. Only registered skip companies can apply under the Lancashire County Council skip permit rules. The fee is £42 per 28 days, and the council needs two working days’ notice. The skip must also have cones and lamps at night. We handle that application for you.
Green Waste Fills by Volume, Logs and Stumps by Weight
Garden waste behaves in two very different ways in a skip. Hedge trimmings, leaves and small branches are light and springy. They fill a container by volume long before they get anywhere near its weight limit, so the job is about space. Cutting branches down and treading the brash in as you go makes a real difference to how much you get in.
Logs, trunk sections, stumps and root balls are another matter. Green timber is heavy, and stumps often come out with a large lump of soil still attached. A skip loaded with them can reach its weight limit while it still looks half full. Are you keeping some logs for the stove? Then keep them out of the skip and stack them separately so they can season.
Choosing a Skip for Tree and Hedge Work in Lathom
Some jobs are a long hedge reduction or a garden-wide autumn cut over several weekends. For those, a 20 yard roll on roll off skip gives the volume that bulky green waste needs. It needs room for the lorry to drop and lift it, which many Lathom drives and yards can offer.
If the job is mainly felling and stump removal, with heavy timber and soil, choose an 8 tonne builders skip. It is built for weight rather than bulk. Once the stumps are out, the holes left behind usually need filling. Our top soil is a simple way to level the ground for turf or replanting in spring. Our guides to tree work skip hire in Appley Bridge and hedge clearance for Tarleton gardens cover similar jobs nearby if you want to compare.
Please Do Not Burn It
With Bonfire Night close, it is tempting to pile the cuttings up and set light to them. Green hedge clippings and wet autumn leaves burn badly and smoulder for hours. They also send smoke across neighbouring gardens and the lanes. A pile left for a few weeks can become a shelter for wildlife, which is exactly what you do not want to set alight. Our article on what not to burn before Bonfire Night explains why a skip is the safer option.
Keep other waste out of the green load if you can. Tyres, gas bottles, paint tins with liquid in them, electrical items and asbestos cannot go in a mixed skip. Old garden sheds and garage roofs on older properties can also contain asbestos. If you are unsure, call before it goes in.
Where Your Garden Waste Goes
Every load we collect comes back to our own recycling centre, a short run from Lathom. We sort it there rather than passing it to a third party. Green waste, timber, metal and hardcore are separated so that we can reuse as much as possible. You can read more about how that works on our environmental and recycling page.
Booking a Skip for Tree and Hedge Work in Lathom
Planning tree and hedge work in Lathom this autumn? Tell us how long the hedge is, whether trees and stumps are coming out, and where the skip can sit. We will tell you plainly which size suits the job. Our page on skip hire in Lathom has more on the area we cover. Ring our team on 01695 769123 or use our contact page.
