A county council is minimising verge growth on rural roadsides – and saving money at the same time.

With over 4,970 miles of rural verges, Dorset County Council aims to reduce the cost of ongoing maintenance by reducing the amount of cutting taking place.

At the same time, it says it wants to transform rural roadsides into a wildflower feast for pollinators.

Phil Sterling, the council's coast and countryside service manager, said: “We spend a vast amount each year cutting our verges.

"By understanding how to reduce the amount the grass grows in the first place, we can be more efficient and save money.

"The bit we can control is soil fertility – the more nutrients in the soil, the more the grass grows.

"Conversely, on poor soils, grass growth is less so we have less to cut; it is that easy."

Dr Sterling says the council can reduce fertility of the soils by cutting and removing the cut grass on existing verges, or by reducing the amount of grass verge and replacing it with limestone shingle.

"As an added benefit, poor soils allow a greater range of wildflowers to thrive, so the strategy to reduce fertility makes the verges much more interesting for wildflowers and insect pollinators.”

Over the last six months the verges along the Weymouth Relief Road have been cut – with the cuttings collected to gradually reduce their fertility.

The move is part of a spend-to-save project on the verges between the Ridgeway and Weymouth.

The next phase, which has just begun, will be to severely cut the verges and rake them, prior to sowing native wildflower seeds to reduce grass growth.

These wildflowers will make the verges not only attractive to look at in coming summers, but provide a highway for wildlife.

Dr Sterling says: "This preparatory work is cutting the existing grass to its base, revealing the soil in places, so it will look messy for a short while.

"The grass will grow back quite quickly, even over the winter, and the wildflower seeds will also start to germinate during this time.”

The local authority believes it can reduce the overall cost of £60,000 per year to under £30,000 per year, which it describs as "a significant saving".

Landscape work on the roundabouts will cost around £14,000 – paid by the council’s transformation fund.

This will save approximately £1,200 a year currently spent on strimming and grass cutting.

The purchase and sowing of the wildflower mix costs just £3,800 and should provide a permanent summer display of wildflowers along the verges.