How much does hedge cutting cost in the UK?
Hedge cutting costs £120 on average in the UK. Most jobs fall between £60 and £600 for a standard trim. Hedge size: Small hedge £60 to £150, Medium hedge £120 to £300, Large or over 2m tall £250 to £600. Prices reviewed July 2026.
Hedge cutting usually costs between £60 and £600 in the UK, with most homeowners paying around £120 for a standard garden hedge. The price depends mainly on the length and height of the hedge, and whether you need the clippings taken away.
Hedge cutting cost calculator
Use the calculator to price your hedge cutting in 2026. Adjust the options and area for a UK cost range. Nothing is sent anywhere.
To price the whole job, use the tree removal cost calculator.
Hedge cutting cost breakdown
Typical hedge cutting costs, by option:
| Hedge size | Typical UK cost |
|---|---|
| Small hedge, under 10m long | £60 to £150 |
| Medium hedge, 10 to 25m | £120 to £300 |
| Large or over 2m tall, incl. waste | £250 to £600 |
What's included in the price?
Typical hedge cutting prices include:
- Trimming the sides and top to a tidy, even shape
- A gardener, or two for bigger jobs, with trimmers and any access equipment
- Sheeting down to catch the clippings
- Clearing up and bagging the waste
- Taking the green waste away for disposal, often for a small extra fee
What changes the price?
The things that move hedge cutting prices most:
The length of the hedge
The height, and whether ladders or a platform are needed
How overgrown it is and the type of hedge
Whether green waste removal is included
Your region and how far the gardener travels
These are why two quotes for the same job can differ, and the only way to know your price is to get prices from local firms (through Bark; we may earn a fee, at no extra cost to you).
How the price is built up
The price is built from the time on site, the number of people needed, any access equipment for tall hedges, and the cost of disposing of the clippings at a green waste tip. Longer and taller hedges take more time and more disposal. Hedge cutting is almost entirely labour; there are no materials beyond fuel for the trimmers. The main add-on is the cost of tipping the green waste.
Ways to keep the cost down
- Book a regular trim once or twice a year so the hedge never gets overgrown and slow to cut
- Ask about keeping the clippings for your own compost or council green bin to avoid disposal fees
- Get a few neighbours done on the same visit to share the callout
Does where you live change the cost?
In London, hedge cutting typically costs around £140 for a standard trim, about 20% above the UK average of £120. In the North, Scotland and Wales the guide figure is nearer £120.
| Region | From | Typical | Up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midlands / East (UK average) | £60 | £120 | £600 |
| London | £70 | £140 | £720 |
| South East / South West | £65 | £130 | £630 |
| North / Scotland / Wales | £60 | £120 | £580 |
Guide prices for a standard trim, scaled with the same regional multipliers as the calculator. Not quotes.
Hedge cutting cost in major UK cities
| City | From | Typical | Up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast | £55 | £110 | £570 |
| Birmingham | £60 | £120 | £600 |
| Bristol | £65 | £130 | £630 |
| Cardiff | £60 | £120 | £580 |
| Edinburgh | £60 | £120 | £580 |
| Glasgow | £60 | £120 | £580 |
| Leeds | £60 | £120 | £580 |
| Liverpool | £60 | £120 | £580 |
| London | £70 | £140 | £720 |
| Manchester | £60 | £120 | £580 |
| Newcastle | £60 | £120 | £580 |
| Sheffield | £60 | £120 | £580 |
City guide estimates, scaled by local labour costs. Indicative averages for hedge cutting, not quotes.
Gardeners in London and the South East charge the most, often £35 to £45 an hour; rates in the North, Wales and Scotland are typically £25 to £35.
Compare this with a real quote
The figures above are guide prices. Two or three quotes for your hedge cutting tell you what it costs where you live.
Free and no obligation. You answer a few questions on Bark, local pros get in touch, and you decide who, if anyone, to hire. We may earn a fee, at no extra cost to you.Common questions
How much does hedge cutting cost in 2026?
Most UK homeowners pay around £120 to have a standard garden hedge trimmed. Prices run from about £60 for a small hedge up to £600 for a long or very tall one that needs access equipment and waste removal.
What affects the price of hedge cutting?
Mainly the length and height. Hedges over about 2m need ladders or a platform and take longer, and taking the clippings away adds a tipping fee. Thick or overgrown hedges such as leylandii also cost more than a light annual trim.
Is it worth paying someone to cut a hedge?
For a low, short hedge many people manage themselves. For anything tall or long, a gardener is safer and quicker, and they clear the waste away, which is usually the biggest hassle of doing it yourself. If the hedge is near an overhead power line, speak to the network operator that owns the line before anyone cuts it. HSE says to get competent advice from the line's owner first, and the operator may switch the power off or arrange a specialist contractor.
Can I cut my own hedge to save money?
Yes, for a small hedge you can trim it with a hired or bought trimmer for roughly £30 to £80. The catch is getting rid of the clippings and working safely at height, which is where a professional earns their fee.
How long does hedge cutting take?
A small garden hedge takes an hour or two. A long boundary hedge or a tall conifer hedge can take a full day for one or two people, usually done in a single visit.
Is there a cheaper alternative to regular hedge cutting?
Trimming lightly once or twice a year keeps ongoing costs low and stops the hedge getting expensive to tackle. Replacing an old, high-maintenance hedge with fencing costs more upfront but removes the yearly bill, though you lose the greenery and privacy a hedge gives.
Is it illegal to cut a hedge in the bird nesting season?
Not for a garden hedge, but damaging an active nest is. In England and Wales, section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 makes it an offence to intentionally take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built. The 1 March to 31 August cutting ban is a separate rule: the Management of Hedgerows (England) Regulations 2024 cover hedgerows on or next to agricultural land and exclude private garden boundaries. A trim during the nesting season is lawful, but check for nests first and leave an occupied stretch until the young have gone.
My neighbour's hedge is too tall. Can the council make them cut it?
Sometimes, if it counts as a high hedge. Under Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003, in England and Wales, that means a line of two or more mostly evergreen or semi-evergreen trees or shrubs, over 2 metres tall, whose height harms your reasonable enjoyment of your home or garden. You must try to settle it with your neighbour first, and councils usually charge a fee. If the complaint is upheld, the owner can be ordered to cut the hedge to a height that fixes the problem, with a fine of up to £1,000 for ignoring it, but never to remove it or cut it below 2 metres.
Official guidance and sources
The rules and schemes referenced on this page come from these official UK sources. The price figures are Costwise's own; see how we price.
- Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, section 1 legislation.gov.uk · Makes it an offence to intentionally take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built. That, not a calendar date, is the rule for a garden hedge.
- Hedgerow management rules: cutting and trimming GOV.UK (Rural Payments Agency) · The 1 March to 31 August cutting ban applies to hedgerows on or next to agricultural land, and the rules do not apply to the boundaries of a private garden.
- High hedges: complaining to the council GOV.UK · How a high hedge complaint works in England: what counts as a high hedge, trying to settle it with the neighbour first, the council's fee, and what the council can and cannot order.
- Working near power lines and cables HSE · HSE's advice for tree and hedge work near overhead lines: get competent advice from the line's owner before starting, since the line may need to be made dead.
Cite this data
These figures are free to use in articles, reports and research under a CC BY 4.0 licence. All we ask is a credit to Costwise, and online a link. Where your style allows, please make "Costwise" the linked word so readers can check the figure for their own region.
Costwise (2026): Hedge cutting typically costs £120 in the UK, ranging from £60 to £600 for a standard trim. Reviewed July 2026. costwiseuk.co.ukSource: Costwise (costwiseuk.co.uk)Costwise (2026). Hedge cutting cost. Costwise UK cost data, version 2026-10-12. https://costwiseuk.co.uk/hedge-cutting-cost/2026-10-12 (158 jobs)Dataset DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21159943 · also on Kaggle, Hugging Face and Figshare. Method: how we price. Downloadable CSV.
These are independent guide prices based on typical UK jobs in 2026. Your actual cost depends on your property, spec, access and where you live. Always get at least three written quotes before committing.