To trim neighbours trees against their wishes?

[Dippypippy1980]

My house has a long side garden, I have a six foot fence and on the other side is the bittom of a number of gardens.

These all have trees and bushes growing along the other side of the fence - which grow half into My garden.

Last year I had a confrontation with one neighbour who strongly objected to me trimming another neighbours trees - even though
I was only trimming the bits that were clearly in my garden, and he said it was ok.

This year her trees are starting to bud, are about two foot into my garden (more for the higher tree branches) and are so overgrown some are will be touching my house by the time spring is over.

I called this morning to tell her I was going to trim those branches that were in my garden. She was very rude And said she refused permission - I explained didn’t need it but was just telling her out of courtesy. There are no tree protection orders. She shouted about her privacy and slammed the door in my face.

Her trees are right at my front door, some are sycamore and they make a huge mess. She has spent all morning and afternoon in her garden and I can hear her husband as ifhe needs to go round. Should I just woman up and trim the trees?? Or hide 😬🤣

[TeaStory]

Trim them, as long as you don’t hack them to pieces or kill them. I think you have to offer them the branches, so good luck. And do it NOW, because nesting season is starting.

[maslinpan]

You are entitled to prune branches that encroach on your garden, you don't require her permission. You have tried to be polite by informing her but she clearly won't be nice. If you do it today she will be stroppy, if you do it another day when she's out she will probably be stroppy anyway, so you have nothing to lose! I guess if you leave it until she is out, she might calm down a little, but it depends how you feel about confrontation.

[LIZS]

You have left it rather late. End of February until August is the period for avoiding disturbing nests. Surely 2 foot is not that intrusive.

[GregoryPeckingDuck]

Just do it. You don’t heed permission.

[Snowflakes1122]

You are allowed to trim to overhang. Go for it! She is BU

[FaFoutis]

Trees do not make a 'huge mess'.

Would you be affecting the neighbour's privacy by cutting the trees?

[flumpybear]

Do it ASAP (today) and put the branches over to her side - this is tree etiquette and if she's got a problem tell her to speak to the council who will tell her the same (unless it has a TPO then you need to check)

[Atchiclees]

Get on and do it before she applies for TPOs on the trees.

[FlyingMonkeys]

In fairness I wouldn't offer the cuttings back in this case. I'd imagine she'd go completely postal 😂

[Bayleyf]

Absolutely do it.

2ft would be a big intrusion into my little garden.

[CarpeVitam]

OP, even there aren't any Preservation Orders you need to check that you aren't in a Conservation Area. If you are, then you will need permission from the LA before cutting back the overhang.

[Seeline]

You have to offer the branches back. Do not just dump them over the fence - that will just annoy her more.

[2birds1stone]

Wow you are nice telling her. We have massive elderflower trees at the end of our garden. the tree is in the neighbours behind the fence but massive branches hang over into our garden. Went round to the neighbours but no response so hacked them all back. The flowers are lovely but when they turn to berry it makes such a mess.

You have reminded me I need to go round again and ask them to take the tops off to.try and prevent them coming into our garden again. I understand screening but they don't need to be 14ft especially plants they leave a nasty mess everywhere

[ATBhinchers]

I would have just done it and not asked based on her being odd about it before. Just be prepared for the mouthful about it!

[HavelockVetinari]

Do it straight away (I.e. today) or wait till September. She's batshit, it's perfectly normal and legal for you to trim trees encroaching on your property. You also legally have to offer her the cuttings (I'd be too chicken to do that last bit though!).

[dementedpixie]

You can offer the branches back but they don't need to take them. Just dumping them over could be classed as fly tipping. You are allowed to trim up to the boundary

[Dippypippy1980]

SYcamore trees make a huge mess. There are five. The drop sap and leaves and helicopter. Grass won’t grow underneath them.

Two doot is quite a lot in my tiny city garden. And one point there is three foot between my house and the fence.

But I asked in AIBU SPso haven’t to put up those who think I am!

I don’t see how it effects her privacy, I installed and maintain a sox foot fence- I can hear them from my garden but never see them. I would not be trimming up to the fence - just tidying the hedge like bushes and trimming back some of the longer sycamore branches (particularly the one which is resting on my satellite dish.

I am going to go for it. And ignore her when she shouts!!

[Clairaloulou]

Hack off anything that hangs over the line of the fence and throw it back in her garden. Her tree, her responsibility. You're perfectly well within your rights to cut anything off that overhangs.

[Clairaloulou]

@FaFoutis what planet are you on?! Are you basing your comment on bonsai trees?!

[WarpedGalaxy]

You can trim any overhang on your side as long as you don’t damage the structure of the tree, you have to offer the clippings back but if she doesn’t want them it’s your problem to dispose of them so ignore the pp who said put them back over the fence.

[HeronLanyon]

Please please check
For nests before you do this. Check today and don’t leave it ! Taking a lot of joy this
Morning watching birds busting about building nests. They are in difficulty generally and we do need to do everything we can to support them good luck with your neighbour !

[BrizzleMint]

I'd wait. We have birds building nests in our hedges and trees now so I really would leave it a while.

[prettybird]

Our sycamore won't be be budding for another month (it is always very late). Even the horse chestnut is barely in bud, let alone in leaf. It will be obvious for at least another month before they are that much in leaf that you can't see if there are nests.

and in any case, if you are only cutting branches back to the boundary, you would be able to see if there were nests

I watch the magpies building nests in the trees opposite (I think they are poplars but not sure). Formerly pollarded trees, so very tall, with straight branches.

We had the crowns reduced on our sycamore and horse chestnut in our front garden (both had previously been pollarded so had got very tall and were blocking light) in May or June, as it took 8+ weeks to get permission. There were definitely no nests in them before, during or after the tree surgery.

[eggsandwich]

I had two sycamore trees in my back garden and they quite frankly are awful trees and they grow quite quickly as well.

Both of our sycamores had tpo’s on them but luckly I was allowed to remove them as the smaller of the two was having its growth restricted by neaby trees and the larger one has a split down the main trunk so was dangerous I was particularly pleased the council didn’t make me replant anything in its place.

[Farmerswifey12]

Trim whatever is on your property and chuck it back into her garden.

Job done