Neighbour has cut 5 of my tree's/bushes down!

I can assure you that the holly will regrow and any new re growth will be extra spiked and very dense. It’s how holly reacts to being attacked and cut back hard.
That is often a very nice surprise for none gardener’s.

The lilac will also regrow but at a slower pace than the holly which races.

The RHS has guides on good pruning so you can check if the trees have been properly hard pruned or simply hacked. https://www.rhs.org.uk/search?query=Hard+pruning&referrerPageUrl=www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types/trees/trees-shrubs-light-pruning

He took advantage of you OP, maybe he wanted to do this for ages and the previous owner wouldn't let him.
Please tell him, or ask your DH to, not to do that again and you will not give permission next time, if they do grow back.
Also it is June, isn't there a law against cutting hedges and trees until September because of nesting birds?

OP find your voice. If he comes back you tell him it’s not what you agreed and no he can’t “trim” anything else beyond what he is entitled to under the law and that he has decimated your garden. Under no circumstances is he to come back into your garden.

You must do this @Zara290

Plus bolt any garden gates etc. to try to prevent his access.

It's only fair to shut your neighbour out and let them stew until they're ready to talk. Unless you're sure you can handle their cheek, going over might just make you look like the one stirring up trouble.

You must offer them to the owner of the tree in case s/he should want it but you can't just dump them on their land and leave it.

You’ve posted this on wrong thread

He said as he left "right that will do for today"

You or DH need to tell your neighbour he can't come back, and he can't cut anything else. Be very explicit, and do it tomorrow otherwise he'll come back when you are all out. Retract your permission immediately.

I have read many a thread on here that says that if you cut off somebody's branches or whatever from their tree that you have to give them the clippings back. Does that not apply here?

Well you said he could, so he did. I’m not sure there’s much you can do now. Next time say no. And get a lock on your gate.

I assume the last sentence was unrelated to the prior ones ...

OP, legally your neighbour can cut off anything that’s overhanging his fence, but no more than that. I feel your pain - my NDN wanted to trim some trees and said they would be cutting off the overhang, and I said fine: legally I can’t object - and then they cut down a tree on MY side of the fence and just left a stump level with the fence - I was not pleased, but did nothing about it, because I don’t want to fall out with my neighbours, but if they ask again, I will point out that it’s limited to their side of the fence!!
@ socialdilemmawhattodo -
If the trees are in your neighbour’s paddock, then unless he wants to/ agrees to cut them, there’s nothing you can do. You can ask him to trim them, or offer to have them trimmed, but he doesn’t have to agree.

Sounds like miscommunication and perhaps the neighbour being opportunistic, but you really needed to clarify. And if it's all unkempt and has been for some time, its not surprising they took it into their own hands

Legally they’re his.
Trying to be pragmatic - you could take a photo of the current tree line / ask him to measure the current tree heights. Go round and say ‘we know the trees in the paddock aren’t a maintenance priority for you but they are for us. We’ve already moved our sky dish to the maximum position we can but we would like to ensure the trees are maintained at their current level (or a bit lower if you agree) as we won’t be able to move it again.’
you might need to be prepared to pay for the service and sensitive to the season (inc nesting season).

I had an elderly neighbour do this in a gorgeous corner of my garden including a lilac tree I did actually cry when I saw it. I never spoke to him ever again. He died not long after.

Well he cannot put the bushes back! You haven’t been there long and didn’t know what these were. I think it’s now healthier to see this as an opportunity. Stamp your own garden ideas on your plot. You have a bit of a blank canvas now so I’d get creative and do something much better.

Yes to him clearing up though. Saplings are worth nothing.

It sounds like he just wants it tidying up & has taken the chance when you agreed to him cutting back.

Common fucking decency would dictate that they got rid of all the crap and off cuttings even if you accept that they only cut back what was agreed (which is questionable).

Do this op.

I'm sorry that you lost your dad, bless you. 🌷

It’s nesting season, you aren’t supposed to be cutting trees down at all now.

You gave a casual agreement for him to carry out work and didn’t ask for specifics.

i can’t understand why you would not insist that your husband be there to supervise?

Big girl pants on. Go round first thing , tell him that there was a misunderstanding, that you believed he was only going to trim them.
Telk him he does not have your permission to do any more cutting and ask him to clean up the mess that he has made.

PS if there was a Holly tree the wood is really valuable so keep it to sell yourself! We made that mistake once