← All guides · Wildlife & the law · Updated October 2026

Hedgerows and dormice around Wingham.

Kent is one of the strongest hazel dormouse counties in England. PTES's State of Britain's Dormice 2023 report found the national population had declined by about 70% since 2000, but Kent is still named as one of the species' strongholds. Where woodland is linked by species-rich hedges, dormice can use those hedges as corridors, which is why hedge work near woodland edge deserves care.

Dormice are protected under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017. In practice that means both the animal and its breeding sites and resting places are protected: you cannot deliberately disturb a dormouse or damage or destroy its nest or resting place. Ignoring that on a farm-boundary or garden hedge next to woodland could easily become a prosecution.

Where they live in a hedge

Dormice nest low in dense species-rich hedges: hazel above all (the clue is in the name), plus hawthorn, blackthorn, honeysuckle, bramble, dog rose and field maple. They weave a tight football-sized nest of stripped honeysuckle bark and grass 30cm to 1.5 metres off the ground, usually in the middle of the hedge structure where it is densest.

They hibernate at ground level from October to April in leaf litter under the hedge base. Which is why the base of a species-rich rural hedge in winter is not to be cleared, strimmed or bonfired without checking.

What changes about hedge cutting

For a dormouse-suitable hedge: species-rich, near woodland, connecting green corridors: the cutting protocol changes:

• Reduce frequency. Every second or third year rather than annual. Frequent cuts prevent the hedge developing the dense mid-height layer dormice nest in.
• Cut in winter only. Between January and March, when dormice are hibernating in the leaf litter and no active nests are present in the hedge. Not before mid-January (they can still be active in mild autumns) and not after March (nesting starts).
• Leave the base alone. No strimming, no clearing, no bonfires at the hedge foot. The base is the winter habitat.
• Keep berry-rich species. Hawthorn haws, blackthorn sloes and dog-rose hips feed dormice pre-hibernation. Cutting off the berry crop robs them of autumn food.
• Vary the height and shape. Not machine-flat. A hedge with a fluctuating top line and pockets of variable density gives dormice safer corridors than a bowling-green cut.

Trimming versus laying versus coppicing

Traditional hedgelaying (BN5 under Countryside Stewardship, around £13.52 per metre) rejuvenates a hedge on a 15-20 year rotation and produces the dense low structure dormice love. Coppicing (BN7) is done in longer rotations. Both are dormouse-compatible if timed correctly (winter, section by section, never the whole hedge in one year). If you have a long boundary hedge in a rural part of the parish, hedgelaying every 15 years does more for the wildlife than a machine-cut every summer.

How to know if you have dormice

Direct sightings are rare: they are nocturnal and secretive. Indirect signs:

• Chewed hazelnuts with a smooth round hole and inner rim tooth-marks (as distinct from squirrel and vole nut damage, which is rougher). PTES publishes a nut hunt identification guide.
• Dormouse tubes and boxes put up in the hedge and checked by a licensed surveyor.
• Formal surveys through the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme run by PTES.

Dormouse conservation in Kent

The Wildwood Trust, near Canterbury, is a partner in the captive-breeding group that supplies dormice for the national reintroduction programme run by PTES, which has released dormice into woodlands in several English counties. Reintroductions only work where there is connected, well-managed habitat, and hedgerows are part of that.

Practical Wingham cases

• Garden hedge on a suburban street in the village core: dormice unlikely; conservation area and Section 211 rules dominate.
• Field-boundary hedge in the wider parish, hazel-rich, connecting to woodland: dormouse habitat possible, so take advice first; winter-only cutting on a 2-3 year cycle, no base clearance.
• Garden hedge backing onto woodland or a species-rich boundary: assume dormice present, apply the same cutting protocol.

If in doubt, we default to the dormouse-safe protocol on any species-rich hedge near woodland. Better a cautious cut than a criminal offence.

Sources: Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 Schedule 5; Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017; People's Trust for Endangered Species, State of Britain's Dormice 2023; Wildwood Trust, hazel dormouse breeding and reintroductions; Countryside Stewardship BN5 rate from GOV.UK Capital Grants 2025 (checked 12 October 2026).