Pembrokeshire County Council is announcing cutbacks - not to save money, but to help the visually impaired.

The Guide Dogs' Safer Streets campaign highlights the dangers of obstructions in the highway – such as hedges overhanging footways - and the council has announced it will play its part in cutting back growth or serving notices on owners whose trees or hedges obstruct pedestrians.

The crackdown coincides with the launch this week by The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association of an A-Z Guide to Street Obstacles.

The publication features a fictional road called Slalom Street, complete with pop-up pavement and three-dimensional pedestrian obstructions, and offers practical suggestions for an obstacle-free environment.

These include cutting back overhanging hedges and avoiding blocked footways by removing illegal advertising signs and parked cars.

Said Tom Pey, Guide Dogs' director of policy: "We are delighted that Pembrokeshire County Council is supporting our ongoing work to reduce pedestrian obstacles.

"We know of cases where vision-impaired people have received serious facial injuries from sharp, overhanging branches, or have stumbled on uneven pavements. Frequently we hear of clients walking into A-boards, while others have been forced into the road - close to traffic they cannot see - because cars are parked, blocking pavements.

"We are working with local authorities, MPs, retailers, drivers and other residents to make a difference, and have launched a web-page, http://www.guidedogs.org.uk/saferstreets">www.guidedogs.org.uk/saferstreets, where people can find out more about the campaign."

Suggestions for an obstacle-free environment include:

• regularly trimming back branches that overhang pavements

• finding parking that doesn't block walkways

• not placing advertising signs or shop displays in the highway

• contractors ensuring that works in the highway are well guarded, with designated pedestrian routes around the works

• cyclists not riding on footways or abandoning their bikes outside shops

For further information about the Guide Dogs' Safer Streets campaign, including copies of the A-Z Guide to Street Obstacles, telephone Chris Dyson on 0118 983 8281 or log on to the web page address.