Trim your bush soon, or wait until September

There are less than two weeks left to look after your hedge before bird-nesting season begins.

The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture has written to local authorities with guidelines for protecting birds and their nests.

It says hedge, bank and verge maintenance should be done before March 1 in order not to disturb birdlife.

And it adds birds will abandon their nests, eggs or chicks if cutting back foliage leaves them exposed.