Am I a criminal?

[Watford Wobble]

Whilst out caching at the weekend I was asked by a 'birder' what I was looking for in a hedgerow. He spotted me some way off as he was in a hide. Didn't spot the muggle else I'd have walked on.

The hedgerow in question was along a defined bridleway. When I explained about geocaching he advised me that looking, poking around in hedgerows is an illegal activity and is liable to a fine of a minium £1000. What is more I was disturbing nesting birds and should stop my activity and clear orf. He had called the police.

It's not as if we were pulling the hedge apart. As it was autumn you could see in the hedge and we certainly weren't pulling it or destroying it to find the cache.

Once I softened his agressive approach and talked to him he was a sort of pleasant gentleman. I believe as the cache was only posted in June it was a case of NIMBY'ism. The cache had been muggled.

I'm not sure under what law I would be prosecuted does anyone know? Crimnal damage? I guess that knocks on the head years of picking fuirt from hedgerows. Or would that be theft.

Police never turned up all bluff and bluster. We went on our way to the next cache after saying goodbye and on good terms.

[von-horst]

Hedgerows are protected by the Hedgerows Regulations 1997.

Under the regulations, it is against the law to remove or destroy certain hedgerows without permission from the local planning authority.

Permission is required before removing hedges that are at least 20 metres in length, over 30 years old and contain certain species of plant.

The local planning authority will asses the importance of the hedgerow using criteria set out in the regulations.

Hedgerows in areas covered by a Historic Landscape Characterisation are often protected on the basis of historic importance and their wildlife value.

A summary of the law is contained in the Defra leaflet Hedgerow Regulations: Your Question Answered. More detailed guidance is contained in The Hedgerows Regulations 1997: A Guide to the Law and Good Practice. You can request a copy of these, free of charge, by emailing farmland.conservation@defra.gsi.gov.uk.


There appears to be no specific provision for damaging a hedgerow per se, so the twit(cher) was probably talking out of thier bottom!

[Watford Wobble]

Made me chuckle to myself to arrive at the cache I'd stumbled through farmers tractor wheel ruts, cut up bridleways from horse riders and the hedges have been cut, sorry thrashed, to within a 1mm of their life by mechanical strimmer type thing.

Oh and there was me looking in a hedge

[Bear and Ragged]

What is more I was disturbing nesting birds

At this time of year?
Not a very good birdwatcher!

Next time, say that you are checking the plant life/insect life in the hedge, or counting the number of plant species in the hedge to determine its age...
(So many species in a certain length = 100 years of age for a hedge)

edit to add
A possible cause for complaint, if its a hide, is the cache is placed in the area viewed by users of the hide, thus you scare off any birds being watched...

[Watford Wobble]

I think the hide was one of those tent jobbies you assemble on the hoof so to speak.

[Happy Humphrey]

If looking in the hedgerow is a criminal act then we'd all better leave the country double quick! What a nutcase. Well done for keeping your cool.

[Mrs Blorenge]

Next time, say that you are checking the plant life/insect life in the hedge, or counting the number of plant species in the hedge to determine its age...
(So many species in a certain length = 100 years of age for a hedge)

Or, use the 'tried and tested', "I'm just looking for my dog's ball - I'm sure it went in here somewhere..."

Of course this excuse falls flat if you don't actually have a dog with you (bad planning on your part ), in which case you should at least be carrying a dog lead with you and when further questioning ensues you follow up with, "Oh, he's a border collie, he went that way..." <Pause for broad arm gesture encompassing the distant horizon>

[Rampton Broadmoore]

[quote=Mrs Blorenge;24617]

Of course this excuse falls flat if you don't actually have a dog with you (bad planning on your part ), in which case you should at least be carrying a dog lead with you and when further questioning ensues you follow up with, "Oh, he's a border collie, he went that way..." <Pause for broad arm gesture encompassing the distant horizon>

Sounds like a case of Geodogging..
Idea taken from another "sport" using a non existent pooch as a prop!!

[Icenians]

in which case you should at least be carrying a dog lead with you and when further questioning ensues you follow up with, "Oh, he's a border collie, he went that way..." <Pause for broad arm gesture encompassing the distant horizon>

:lol: I now have this mental picture of a park full of helpers searching for a non existant dog :lol:

[Team Sieni]

Of course this excuse falls flat if you don't actually have a dog with you (bad planning on your part ), in which case you should at least be carrying a dog lead with you and when further questioning ensues you follow up with, "Oh, he's a border collie, he went that way..." <Pause for broad arm gesture encompassing the distant horizon>

You do realise it is illegal to let a non-existent dog run free. They should be kept on a lead at all times, otherwise they may worry the unicorns.

[fraggle69]

Whilst out caching at the weekend I was asked by a 'birder' what I was looking for in a hedgerow. He spotted me some way off as he was in a hide. Didn't spot the muggle else I'd have walked on.

The hedgerow in question was along a defined bridleway. When I explained about geocaching he advised me that looking, poking around in hedgerows is an illegal activity and is liable to a fine of a minium £1000. What is more I was disturbing nesting birds and should stop my activity and clear orf. He had called the police.

It's not as if we were pulling the hedge apart. As it was autumn you could see in the hedge and we certainly weren't pulling it or destroying it to find the cache.

Once I softened his agressive approach and talked to him he was a sort of pleasant gentleman. I believe as the cache was only posted in June it was a case of NIMBY'ism. The cache had been muggled.

I'm not sure under what law I would be prosecuted does anyone know? Crimnal damage? I guess that knocks on the head years of picking fuirt from hedgerows. Or would that be theft.

Police never turned up all bluff and bluster. We went on our way to the next cache after saying goodbye and on good terms.

Well I can't say assault on a hedegrow is a criminal offence, though if it had been me I might have thrown the brider in the hedge and moved quickly on to the next cache QEF! []