Naimeh Ghiassi, of Hazel Close, Kingsbridge, writes: Last March or April, when the hedgerow alongside the footpath from Kingsbridge to West Alvington had just come out in full bloom with blackthorn, a person employed by Kingsbridge Town Council and West Alvington Parish Council went along to cut it all off. The ground was strewn with petals. We don't know what the birds thought, or rather, we do know what the birds thought. I asked the councils if they could arrange for the hedgerow to be cut before the end of February this year, which is the best time, but they said they couldn't. I was told that cutting happens 'as and when' for ­'ethical, moral and legal' ­reasons, but that 'the when never materialised'. I also asked if the hedge could be cut less back less severely, since for some long stretches it has been removed completely. The reply was that the hedge has to be kept short for the 'openness of the users', and because of the 'tremendous pressure' the council is under to do so. So I thought I'd just let people know.