Is it too late to cut back plants that are already starting to sprout?

[MrsChemist]

We have some rose plants about 12ft tall. We forgot to cut them back, and now they are sprouting again. The new growth is so high up and we don't want to cut back to only few feet high if it will harm the plants.

TIA

"With Roses, it's quite important to prune them correctly, otherwise they will die."

LOLOLOLOL

I find a hedge trimmer levelled at 6 inches off the ground still won't kill them

Quite, catinthehat. I snipped one of mine off at ground level in an over-enthusiastic clematis pruning accident and still it came back. Bad pruning might cause poor flowering, I guess, and might let in disease if done at completely the wrong time of year, but most roses seem pretty much indestructible.