Sir.-I would like to add my voice to the subject of the appalling mechanical hedge cutting going on within the borough.

In particular, I wish to bring attention to the hedge along Bartons Lane, above the Mill Field conservation area.

My concern is not just about the damage done to the hedge but also the fact that chopping it back takes away cover and food for small mammals and birds for what is still the winter period, and the beginning of the birds' nesting time.

This is particularly bad for an area that has been designated as one of scientific interest for rare flora and fauna.

I feel very strongly that areas such as these should not be cut mechanically but by using the tried-and-tested hand-cutting method of the past.

The RSPB recommends that if the hedges need to be cut, it should occur only once in every three years.

-Ann Blairman, Brocas Drive, Oakridge, Basingstoke.