Angry neighbours [Archive] - SV650.org - SV650 & Gladius 650 Forum

xbox650

13-04-08, 10:45 AM

Hello
I have recently upset my neighbours and was wondering what to expect .It goes like this .
I live in the 2nd house from the end of a cul-de-sac which faces open fields . Around the perimeter (along the edge of the field) is a public footpath . Now this path also goes along the side and back of next dooors back garden , although not on it . Said path has many tall hawthorn bushes along side next doors 6ft fence . These bushes obstruct my view and morning sunlight so yesterday evening I went out and cut some of them down (no lower than fence hieght) . My neighbour saw what I had done this morning and is now furious saying he wanted them there for security . He is screaming blue murder and threatening council and legal action . The bushes are not on his property and all off cuts have been intertwined to provide a more impassible barrier between his fence and the public footpath .
I was wodering where I stand if he does try to prosecute and what sort of penalty I can expect for cutting down 3 hawthorn bushes .
Anyone else had the same or similar experience with there neghbours or council .
Any comments will be greatly appriciated .

sv-robo

13-04-08, 10:56 AM

Sorry mate can't really offer any constructive advice....but his second name would'nt happen to be Meldrew would it??:)

Camel

13-04-08, 10:59 AM

The bushes are not on his property

:D

Tell him to go forth and multiply!

missyburd

13-04-08, 11:04 AM

If he already has a 6ft fence then cutting the bushes down shouldn't be bothering him that much! And as you say if they're not on his property so he should quit moaning and plant some of his own on the other side of the fence if he likes them so much.....or razorwire :lol:

13-04-08, 11:06 AM

The Council will probably thank you for doing their job.

I'd tell your neighbour to foxtrot oscar. As re the Council, were the trees protected? From what you say, I'd doubt it. If they weren't then what's the problem? You won't be prosecuted for chopping a tree. They all have better things to do. As re suing you - nope, the Council won't be interested, and as dfor your neighbour, they weren't his trees so he can't do anything.

I think you're OK here:D

You should go and collect all the cut bits and stuff them through your neighbour's letterbox:D

gettin2dizzy

13-04-08, 11:16 AM

They reckon big hedges like that allow criminals to break in unseen anyway

fizzwheel

13-04-08, 11:31 AM

If the bushes are on your property I would politely point this out to him and then dont speak to him anymore about said subject.

If you're really worried get down to citizens advice and see what they have to say, but personally I'd think you have nothing to worry about.

Wayluya

13-04-08, 11:32 AM

Deny it.

Razor

13-04-08, 11:36 AM

Tell him to eff off.

Fizzy Fish

13-04-08, 11:39 AM

tbh while i understand why you wanted to cut the bushes down a bit, I'm a little confused as to why you wouldn't at least mention it to your neighbour first? I suspect at least part of his anger relates to how you've gone about this...

dirtydog

13-04-08, 11:59 AM

You should go and collect all the cut bits and stuff them through your neighbour's letterbox:D

Ha ha ha ha nice one Ed

kitkat

13-04-08, 12:13 PM

im with fizzy on this one. how do you know they were not his bushes. he may have intentionally put his fence inside the boundary so that the bushes grow up the outside of it. I would be ****ed off too if someone came and chopped down my trees without asking. If they ask - go for it. Maybe go round and apologise and explain why you did this.

xbox650

13-04-08, 02:27 PM

Thanks for the replies . You all pretty much am thinking what I was thinking .
I did forget to say that I mentioned this to my neighbour in August last year and he said as long as they dont go lower than his fence he has no problem . I have only just got round to doing it now .
However after a slanging match with me and his wifee he now conviently denies that he gave some form of consent to my work at all and reminded me that she had planted extra hawthorn, again for security.
I know that he has no right to the bushes as the houses were only built last year and mine was finished and occupied about a month before he moved in . Although developed by a construction company(gladedale) I popped over every sunday to see how progress was going and as I bought off plan I know where all th immediate boundaries around my house are .
I have thought about apologising to them just to keep the peace if nothing else .

Bluepete

13-04-08, 02:30 PM

Keep the peace, after all, you live right next door to them. You have what you want and he can't gaffa tape the branches back on can they?

Shellywoozle

13-04-08, 02:33 PM

Ahhh we all have a neighbour like that, I wouldn't worry too much, I am sure if he reported it to the council he would get laughed at.

If I was you I would go and collect all the dog $**t from said field and pile that up behind his fence for security, if a burglar trud in it en route in then he would either leave some nice foot prints which forensics could match DNA or would smell it and think it's a dirty smelly house and not worth touching !!

OK sorry my mind was to active on this one !!

ThEGr33k

13-04-08, 02:35 PM

You have what you want and he can't gaffa tape the branches back on can they?

LOL. They might try like. See if they do? \\:D/

kwak zzr

13-04-08, 03:05 PM

i agree with the "eff off go mind yr own!!" god i'd love to be detached.

Demonz

13-04-08, 03:14 PM

missyburd

13-04-08, 03:18 PM

I would go an speak with him - sooner rather than later. See if you can work things out - better karma to know you tried to clear the air at least. And for his security its nice to know you can rely on your neighbor rather than a tree.

+1. He has just as much reason to keep on the good side of you, you could just as easily see someone trying to break in to his place and not say anything....not that one would do that of course, that would be mean :rolleyes:

Then again, if he's going to be an ar$e about it and not see reason either way then fine, not a lot you can do, but at least you will have tried.

Defender

13-04-08, 03:32 PM

.....perhaps you could offer an olive branch ;)

Razor

13-04-08, 03:35 PM

After my recent court appearance due to violence form a neighbour I would say never show weakness. Some people see an apology from you as weakness and then in any future dealings they may think they have the upper hand.
Each confrontation can escalate after an apology, if they think they've won next time they'll just expect you to do as they say.

skeetly

13-04-08, 03:44 PM

Erm hawthorns innit? They'll grow again :)
Say sorry you got the wrong end of the stick.....

missyburd

13-04-08, 03:48 PM

Say sorry you got the wrong end of the stick.....

or the bush :lol:

xbox650

13-04-08, 08:21 PM

Although he is not happy we have agreed to disagree and will not mention it again . Fair enough !

missyburd

13-04-08, 08:25 PM

Result! Glad it's sorted :thumbsup:

tigersaw

13-04-08, 08:45 PM

Although he is not happy we have agreed to disagree and will not mention it again . Fair enough !

Does that mean you can keep cutting them?

xbox650

15-04-08, 09:16 PM

I think to keep the peace I will leave them alone in the future .

15-04-08, 09:19 PM

I think to keep the peace I will leave them alone in the future .

Move house...

Jdubya

15-04-08, 09:24 PM

I think to keep the peace I will leave them alone in the future .

I find that a strong weedkiller works well...

SoulKiss

15-04-08, 09:26 PM

Or cut them using the petrol and match method and blame "yoofs" for the resultant carnage to his fence :P

ThEGr33k

15-04-08, 10:31 PM

I like the last two sigestions... Maybe try one then if that dont work try the other. Napalm works well. Ha ha ha. :p

Lozzo

15-04-08, 10:56 PM

Any comments will be greatly appriciated .

Poison his dog and sleep with his daughter, that'll show him who's boss.

Rog

15-04-08, 11:47 PM

Although he is not happy we have agreed to disagree and will not mention it again . Fair enough !

Surely this is only a temporary solution as when they grow again you will be in the same situation i.e. blocking light to your garden. Also check your deeds as most new contracts will state that you are not allowed to plant fast growing bushes (i dont know if Hawthorn is included but worth a shot)

If they are not on his land then I would state you intentions to continue to maintain them to preserve the light levels in your garden. In exchange you could say that you will turn a blind eye to the fact that he has planted them outside his boundaries. He may well be trying to extend his land by enclosure, i.e. once the hedge is big enough and thick enough his fence will disappear thus gaining a couple of feet around his garden. It may seem petty but this sort of thing goes on all the time and you thwarting his plans is probably the real reason for him being pee'd off.

timwilky

16-04-08, 12:58 AM

Feck them all. You own a chain saw. show your neighbour what happens when you you get ****ed off.

dizzyblonde

16-04-08, 08:31 AM

theres a new rule that got brought in about bushes...it was to do with those mahhhhoosive conifers people like to forget about and they grow to 50 ft high. Now your bushes can only be about 6-7ft or some thing like that...because people get in these sort of disputes.
Ask your council on their rules about boundary bushes and shrubs etc...I'm certain you'd get a nice surprise to shove at him

blue curvy jester

16-04-08, 08:54 AM

from a garden law site

If the branches or roots of your neighbour's trees encroach upon your land, you may trim them back to your boundary. You do not need to give notice that you will do so, provided that you do not trespass on your neighbour's land to do the work. You can even (with the permission of your local authority) trim trees that are the subjects of preservation orders.

If your neighbour's trees are shown to be doing actual damage to your property, for example,
- banging against your roof when the wind blows,
- roots taking enoughwater to deprive and damage your own plants,
- root growth causing ground heave resulting in broken garden walls,
- roots extracting water from under your buildings causing subsidence and damage to buildings
then you may be able to take legal action, either to have the roots restrained from encroaching on your land, or possibly to have the tree removed, as well as to recover damages. For the best advice on trees, consult an arboriculturalist, but if you want someone to measure the positions and heights of trees and the lengths of their shadows then you should consult a chartered land surveyor.

Baph

16-04-08, 09:34 AM

A couple of weeks ago we got a 'nice' letter through the post. Apparently the council were complaining that my bushes were overgrown, and they'd been notified by some lovely neighbour of mine (or a resident on the estate). Why they couldn't knock on my door & talk to me about it I cannot fathom.

The problem is because of a footpath that leads to a school just behind the house, and the council was claiming access was prohibited.

I duly called the council, and informed them that access was not prohibited. Granted it was more difficult than previously, but there was still a clear 2ft wide passage down the length of the property (1.5ft legally required), so if they wanted immediate action I suggest they come & cut it down themselves.

The reply I got was...

"To be fair, we received a complaint, and we have to be seen to act on it. It's not cost effective for us to deal with the issue, so feel free to take a couple of months to get around to it."

Moral of the story: The council generally won't give a crap.

If the trees are required for security of your neighbour, they should consider planting some within the boundaries of their property.

Gene genie

16-04-08, 07:52 PM

a neighbour of mine put a row of bushes/giant redwoods across the rear of his garden blocking the northern hemisphere of daylight, so not one to complain i phoned the council who in turn sent an official to complain. i remember him saying that if they obstruct an existing height boundary they had to comply to it, or worded something like that. anyway he hacked off a good size then 2 weeks later i sold up and moved. he he he he.