Garden Maintenance - your responsibility - Blackpool Coastal Housing

Published: 25 April 2025

As a tenant it is your responsibility to maintain your own garden, as per the conditions of your Blackpool Council Tenancy Agreement.

Regular garden maintenance ensures that you have a pleasant space to enjoy. It also prevents nuisance issues to your neighbours and reduces the risk of vegetation damaging garden structures or property. Green spaces are excellent for encouraging wildlife and promoting good health and mental well-being. You can even grow your own fruit and vegetables - a great way to save money and enjoy fresh food on your doorstep!

Maintenance of your garden includes:

Weed removal
Hedge pruning
General tree and shrub pruning
Lawn maintenance
Ivy pruning
Removal of brambles
Small tree removal
Removal of garden waste/rubbish

You should only undertake maintenance yourself if safe to do so. Consider getting professional advice or assistance if you are unsure.

Your Tenancy Agreement

The terms of your Tenancy Agreement relating to maintaining your own garden can be found below:

6. Using the Property

6.8. You must make sure that you keep any outbuilding, yard or garden clean and free from rubbish. You must cultivate and look after the garden and keep any trees, bushes, hedges or grass at a reasonable size or height.

6.9. You must not grow or permit to be grown any trees, bushes, plants, hedges, or shrubs that affect the structure or fabric of either your building or your neighbours’ properties, or any nearby building.

Garden Maintenance

Weed control

Use a garden fork, strimmer, brush cutter or garden hoe. Weeds can also be treated with chemical herbicide to prevent regrowth. Some invasive weeds may require several treatments. When using chemicals, always follow the manufacturers guidelines carefully. Weeds are best treated when in leaf, on a dry day, spring to autumn.

Visit www.rhs.org.uk/advice/common-weeds to help identify common garden weeds

Hedge pruning

Brambles

To cut back brambles, put on thick clothes, gloves, and goggles before starting the job. Cut the bramble vines down to 6 inches (15 cm) from the ground. A hedge trimmer or similar tool with a metal blade is best for areas covered in brambles. For smaller brambles, clippers will also work.

Rake up all the bramble debris from your garden. Take a rake and make a pile of all the bramble pieces. Make sure to pick up all the debris. The berries contain the plant seeds, so a new bramble may start growing if there are berries in the soil. Dispose of the debris in your bin so the brambles don’t grow back.

To remove the root, apply weed killer to the freshly-cut plants. Apply the weed killer right after cutting the branches off. Otherwise, the opening may heal and the weed killer won’t enter the plant. Let the weed killer soak into the plants for 1-3 weeks. The branches will start turning brown and shrivelling. When all the visible parts are shrivelled and brown, the plant is dead. If 1 week has gone by and the brambles don’t look shrivelled at all, apply another round of weed killer. Dig the roots up to ensure the plant doesn’t grow back. Once the plant is shrivelled, use a shovel and dig it out of the ground. Pull up the roots, then check the hole for any remnants of the plant. Pick these up as well, then dispose of the roots along with the vines.

Lawn/grass maintenance

Ivy removal

General tree and shrub pruning

Small trees (self-set small trees)

If in inconvenient places or near buildings or structures, small trees or saplings are best tackled in the early stages of growth, when they are small enough to be pruned or removed. Use loppers, shears, a handsaw or a garden spade. Trees can spread seeds far and wide. Those with hard seeds like the oak’s acorn, will spread because their seeds bounce. Other trees have lighter seeds that are carried on the breeze, like sycamores. Meanwhile, others rely on wildlife such as birds or animals to assist the process. Self-seeding happens when the seeds start to grow and a young tree can spring up. Each small sapling has the potential to grow into a mature specimen.

BCH does not carry out tree work to assist you with:

Removal or pruning of trees just because they are large, tall, leafy or move naturally in the wind.
Removal or pruning of trees because of bird or animal nesting or insect activity, including any associated noise or mess.
Removal of fallen leaves, branches, seeds, pollen, sap, nuts or fruit.
Removal or general pruning of trees because they block light.
Removal or pruning of neighbouring trees overhanging into your garden (unless they are dangerous or causing damage to property).
Removal or pruning of trees because they may cause a poor TV reception.
Removal of garden waste

BCH will assist you with:

Dead, dying, diseased or dangerous trees
Trees that are causing direct damage to, or in physical contact with, a property. For example, branches are in contact with the roof, or there is damage to a structure from physical contact with trunk, crown or roots.

Our Contractor or Contracts Manager would conduct a site visit to assess trees that may fall into the above categories and decide on the necessary works required.

Overhanging branches

If branches from a neighbour’s tree are overhanging your property, you can cut them back yourself, unless the tree is protected by a Tree Preservation Order or is in a Conservation Area.

You may prune the branches back to the boundary of your property but no further. The work must be done from your own property. You must dispose of any cuttings yourself.

Prior to undertaking any tree works, you should first check that the tree is not subject to a Tree Preservation Order or located within a Conservation Area. You can do this by visiting Blackpool Council’s website www.blackpool.gov.uk or by calling Blackpool Council’s Customer First service on 01253 477477.

Japanese knotweed

Japanese knotweed is a fast-growing and strong clump-forming plant, with tall, dense annual stems. Examples are below:

Assisted Gardening service

The Assisted Gardening service is currently under review and BCH is unable to take any new applications at this time.

We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause, as soon as the review has been completed, we will publish further information.

If you currently benefit from the Assisted Gardening service and have any queries or concerns, please contact BCH's Neighbourhoods Team for more information:

T: 01253 477900 (option 3)
E: asb@bch.co.uk

Green Waste collection

Blackpool Council’s garden waste collection service is by subscription only and includes fortnightly collections. Each year, subscription runs from 1st April until 31st March. Items that can be collected include:

Grass, tree and hedge cuttings
Twigs, bark and leaves
Straw and hay
Flowers and plants
Small branches

Items that won't be collected include:

Food waste
Fruit and vegetables, including peelings
Soil

To subscribe to the garden waste collection service, please contact Blackpool Council’s Customer First Centre on 01253 477477 or complete an online application.

Alternative options for garden waste removal

Home composting - composting is a great way to get rid of garden waste. Blackpool Council has teamed up with getcomposting.com to provide exclusive offers on compost bins.
The Tip - you can take your garden waste to the tip on Bristol Avenue.
Grey bin - You can put your garden waste in your grey bin and Blackpool Council will collect it as normal.

To find out more about waste and recycling, visit https://www.blackpool.gov.uk/Residents/Waste-and-recycling.aspx

Webpage updated 25th April 2025

Published: 25 April 2025