If you run an ecological protection scheme for road verges in your area, please could you provide me with the following details:

a) what protection measures a verge receives when it is included in the scheme

Nottinghamshire County Council runs a Notified Road Verge (NRV) scheme. When a verge is included in the scheme, it is mapped in GIS, and its location is shown on PlanWeb (an internet based mapping system), which is available to our Highways division. Paper maps are also provided to the person in charge of verge cutting.

Each NRV is managed in isolation from the rest of the road verge network, and is marked on the ground with a wooden finger post to remind the tractor driver not to give the verges a standard cut. With the exception of one verge, all receive a cut in late summer/early autumn, with all arisings removed. One verge (which is a SSSI) receives two cuts, again with all arisings removed.

b) the list of verges covered by the scheme (and their locations - road name/number and six figure OS grid references would be fine)

c) for each verge, the specific reasons why the verge has been included in the scheme - i.e. the notable species found there, or the NVC community present

Verges backed by mixed plantation woodland, supporting unimproved neutral grasslands. Common knapweed and sweet-vernal grass are frequent, with locally rare sandland species such as betony and basil thyme. Areas of bare sand, with populations of sheep's sorrel occur adjacent to the woodland boundary. A distinctive spray zone community occurs on the roadside, with abundant scurvy-grass and buck's-horn plantain also present. The verge is regularly mown for visibility.

Wide grass verges on the keuper marls, with a tall grass/herb community that may reflect the presence of permanent hayfields in the area prior to agricultural intensification. Species present include Lady's bedstraw, common knapweed, greater burnet-saxifrage, agrimony and meadow vetchling.

A short section of acid grassland, dominated in places by bracken. The western end is more diverse, with Lady's bedstraw, common knapweed and perforate St-John's wort.

An interesting area with a high degree of heterogeneity across the site, ranging from sparse acid grassland/grass heath, to denser (neutral?) grassland in places. The central and western areas seem to have the highest species diversity, with the northern section adjacent to the A616 being enriched and species poor. The site is particularly notable for the presence of petty whin, although this species is struggling at the site. Work was undertaken at the end of 2006 to facilitate the spread of heathland habitat at the site, through the removal of enriched soils on the site of a small car park, and the spreading of sand won as part of a nearby road scheme. This area was then treated with heather brash.

A narrow south facing bank on local light soils with a characteristic flora including a strong colony of county rare wild clary and local wild onion and black horehound.

Two verges with a flora characteristic of neutral clays. Unimproved with a relic meadow flora including a strong population of cowslips, greater burnet-saxifrage and wood sedge.

Verges of varied sward type with a rich unimproved meadow flora. The north west section has a wet ditch (great willowherb is abundant) with meadowsweet and tufted hair-grass suggesting waterlogged conditions. The mid- and southern verges have a mesotrophic flora suggestive of drier conditions. Flora includes spiny restharrow and yellow rattle. Backed by rich hedges with large oak and ash trees.

A section of verge backed by a tall-grown species-rich hedge. A large population of common knapweed and agrimony is present. Amongst other frequent herbs are spiny restharrow, ribwort plantain and red clover, and a few cowslips.

These verges are statutorily designated and are botanically amongst the richest in the county. The sward varies in character, some areas being dominated by cock's-foot and false oat-grass, others by sheep's fescue or tor-grass. The fescue and tor-grass swards have developed calcareous plant communities containing herbs such as saw-wort, common knapweed, bird's-foot trefoil, pepper-saxifrage, dyer's greenweed, rock-rose (not recorded in recent years), great burnet-saxifrage, wild liquorice and common milkwort. Twayblade, greater butterfly and common spotted orchids are also present. Other parts of the site are best treated as woodland edge, containing dog's mercury. The site suffers from disturbance and damage in places (especially fly-tipping), as well as encroachment by bramble.

A long verge of mixed quality, with dense, rank vegetation in places, and sparser grassland in others. Subject to mismanagement outside adjacent properties. A diverse meadow flora on calcareous clays includes black horehound, common knapweed, yellow rattle, Lady's bedstraw, hare's-foot clover, harebell, and notably, sheep's-bit (a county-rare species found at the northern end).

An excellent verge with a diverse meadow flora on calcareous clays. Species present include common spotted and pyramidal orchid, common twayblade, yellow rattle, adderstongue fern (not recently recorded), common knapweed, greater burnet-saxifrage and pepper-saxifrage.

A species rich verge on the keuper marls, with a markedly calcareous flora and the salt tolerant grass reflexed saltmarsh grass by the road. Other species present include agrimony, lady's bedstraw, greater burnet-saxifrage, meadow vetchling, field scabious and common knapweed. Species rich old hedgerows with many native shrubs back the wide verges.

A species-rich verge, although its interest appears to be declining. Great burnet, Lady's bedstraw, agrimony, common knapweed, meadow vetchling and meadowsweet are present.

A wide verge with a tussocky sward and a relic meadow flora characteristic of neutral clays. It is unimproved and backed by a dry ditch and a cut, species rich hedge with trees. Poached by horses - this seems to have a good effect, breaking up the thatch and allowing herbs (notably yellow rattle and meadow buttercup) to produce many seedlings.

An area of damp, species-rich verge with abundant forbs in the sward. The northern part is similar to Laxton NRV, with frequent meadowsweet, whilst the southern section is less dominated by tall vegetation, with populations of spiny restharrow, pepper-saxifrage, burnet-saxifrage, Lady's bedstraw, tufted vetch and red bartsia.

A varied section of verge reflecting the proximity of two ancient woodlands. Consequently, parts of the verge contain woodland species such as dog's mercury and enchanter's nightshade. Elsewhere, meadowsweet is abundant, and vegetation growth is dense, but common knapweed, meadow vetchling, agrimony and early purple orchid can be found.

A grassy verge between the road and pathway, disturbed in places, on keuper marl on the top of the hill, and on sand lower down. Notable species previously recorded include viper's bugloss, hoary cinquefoil and sheep's-bit (the latter two not recently recorded). Greater knapweed occurs in several places.

A verge in a road cutting with an apparently markedly calcareous association. Species present include wild onion, burnet-saxifrage, common and greater knapweed, field scabious and wild liquorice.

Verges on light soils of the blown sand supporting a large colony of county-rare star-of-Bethlehem. However, this verge appears to have been inappropriately managed in recent years, and the status of all species at the site is unknown. Wild liquorice and hare's-foot clover can still be found.

A wide verge with some elements characteristic of the blown sand, such as hare's-foot clover, harebell, sand spurrey and wild onion, whilst others are suggestive of the Trentside meadow flora (developed on neutral alluvium), with Lady's bedstraw, meadow vetchling and common knapweed present. It is thus an interesting intermediate type and a refuge for meadow flora now marginalised in this area.

A wide verge grass verge on the north west edge of Spalford Warren SSSI. Notable for a range of ruderal species, including common whitlow-grass, as well as wild onion. However, increasingly bracken dominated, and losing its interest - careful management works are required to rectify this.

A verge adjacent to Spalford Warren SSSI, typical of the blown sand flora. County-rare sand sedge is present. Bur chervil and harebell can also be found. The majority of this verge is now managed by Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust as part of their Spalford Warren reserve.

The sward supports a base-rich, well drained grassland with characteristic species including cowslip, burnet-saxifrage, and at the western end, tor-grass, as well as abundant meadowsweet and meadow vetchling.

Notable calcareous verges where a range of grasses occur. including tor grass, rough meadow-grass, false oat-grass and occasionally crested dogstail. The bank section contains cowslip, salad burnet, dropwort and southern marsh orchid.

All NRVs are also designated as Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINCs), a local, non-statutory designation. It should be noted that not all road verge SINCs are included within the NRV scheme (indeed, a significant number are not), and there are no guidelines or criteria for when a road verge (SINC or otherwise) can/should become an NRV.