The public is being asked to be patient while the Ministry of Public Works joins forces with the Royal Bermuda Regiment and Belco to trim trees along South Shore Road in Warwick and Southampton.

A Government spokeswoman said: “The teams will be cutting back trees in various areas around the island to prevent damage in the event of a hurricane or severe storm.

“The Ministry is also encouraging the public through this initiative to take the opportunity to safely trim back any overhanging trees on their own properties.

“To that end, Marsh Folly will be open this weekend from 7.30am to 4pm for the free dumping of any horticultural waste.”

Shelly Leman, managing director of transmission, distribution and retail at Belco, said: “Trees and foliage falling on power lines are the main cause of power outages during hurricanes.

“The best way to prevent these outages is to ensure trees are trimmed with a minimum of ten feet of clearance from power lines. ”

A Belco spokesman added that while Belco does hire landscaping companies to ensure trees are cut near main line circuits along main roads, the company does not offer a tree-trimming service.

The spokesman added: “If a property owner has trees growing from their property near power lines they can contact Belco to make arrangements to have the power lines de-energised in order to safely conduct tree trimming in the vicinity of the lines.”

Property owners or landscaping services who intend to trim branches near power lines are urged to call Belco at 299-2800 or e-mail treetrimming@belco.bm at least three weeks in advance so power can be temporarily disconnected.