If you think the grass is getting long now, you’d better get used to it.

Grass verges, hedgerows alongside roads and roundabouts will be cut less from next year following swingeing budget reductions by Kent County Council.

Presently grass on KCC’s highways land is cut eight times a year and shrubs and hedges once annually.

However, from next year the contract to maintain the land is being reduced by 45% to £40,000 a year and the number of times the grass is mown could be halved.

Most of the land on or next to highways belongs to KCC.

Gravesham council’s landscaping team has operated the soft landscaping contract on behalf of the county council but has decided it is no longer viable and the Cabinet is being recommended to end the arrangement at its meeting on September 5.

While it is unlikely that decision will face opposition during the meeting, another point was raised during a pre-cabinet meet that should the council agree to the proposals, it would incur extra costs. With the grass being much longer once it was time to cut it back, the council’s landscaping team would need to buy new equipment to mow it.

Some years ago weed control spraying was reduced by KCC from three times to once a year.

Deputy leader Cllr David Turner said: “We have actually tended some areas for the county council more frequently than specified in the contract – effectively subsidising KCC – but this change from County Hall is a cut too far and is not going to be affordable.

“The borough council will continue to look after its own parks and open spaces to the same standard as present but residents may notice a difference between highways verges and our land.”

The county council will now have to look for a new contractor. Gravesham was one of only four councils which had continued to maintain highways land for KCC. The others are Ashford, Dover and Swale. The rest of Kent’s district councils stopped working on Kent highways due to past reductions in the fees.

KCC is responsible for most aspects of the non-motorway highways, including roads, streetlights, pavements and most street furniture as well as land beside the roads.

Just a few weeks ago, residents in The Avenue, Gravesend, protested after weeds had been left to grow higher than some road signs, obscuring double yellow lines, and trees blocked the width of the pavements. KCC got to work with the issue after the Gravesend Messenger intervened.

A KCC spokesman said: “KCC does not look after trees, hedges and shrubs on private land, which are often next to roads and pavements.

“Essentially, if your garden hedge or tree is overhanging a public footpath or road, it is your responsibility to cut it.

“District councils, parish councils and housing associations are responsible for soft landscaping maintenance on their own land.

“For rural grass on the highway, we cut a metre wide strip next to the road edge using a tractor mounted mower. We do a single cut between May and September.

“In urban grass areas we wait until six weeks after the flowering period before cutting spring flowers, such as daffodils, so they will grow the following year.

"Due to ongoing financial pressures and reductions in central government funding, urban grass maintenance will get between five and six cuts a year from 2017/18.

“However KCC Highways team are working with our district and parish colleagues to find possible solutions to mitigate this impact.

“Grass located next to roads or footpaths, normally within the town or village centre and 30mph limit has eight cuts a year between March and October - about once a month.

“Grass that is next to a road junction and is within the sight line for drivers turning in or out receives three cuts a year between April and October - about every two months.

“In order to ensure safety for the travelling public ad hoc cutting of overgrowth will always be undertaken to remove any dangerous situation particularly in relation to visibility for motorists.”