Neighbours causing such a fuss about ivy! Really?

She doesn’t have to kill it off and the neighbours have the option to cut it back to the boundary to mitigate any issues with it. That’s the law. Constant complaints and insults about something the OP doesn’t have to do can easily become harassment.

Heed this cautionary tale. My mum’s neighbour’s low fence was rotting and ivy and weeds were coming over, she kept making comments, telling them to sort it and one day they had a big row about it, my mum told them they had to sort it and swore at them she was that angry. My mum then received a letter from their solicitor telling her that her neighbour their client didn't have to do anything about the ivy or fence. They’d checked the title deeds etc. The solicitor said that actually, as my mum had removed some of the fence and killed some of the ivy with weed killer, without permission she’d committed trespass and criminal damage. The solicitor also warned her about inappropriate behaviour ie swearing and nasty insults. Apparently her neighbours had this all on Ring footage. My mum went to get her own legal advice and was told she didn’t have a leg to stand on and that if she did or said anything else she could be prosecuted civilly or potentially criminally for harassment and how that could negatively impact her life. My mum avoids the neighbours completely now and is always on edge because she’s terrified of being accused of something else. Being prosecuted or charged will cost her a lot of money she doesn’t have and if she gets a criminal conviction for harassment she may not be able to work or travel abroad. So just remember peeps how one day a bit of ivy you can cut yourself can so easily blow up into something so much worse.

Even if she didn't plant it she's actively trying to keep it, because she likes it. Again you might be miffed if your next door neighbour was leaving their side to run rampant with weeds making it harder to keep your side maintained. But unlike normal weeds the ivy poses a destructive risk. If it is coming through the fence by the neighbours shrubs it won't take long for it to root and kill off the shrubs. It will them be an ongoing tasks of trying to stop the ivy taking over their garden. If op likes ivy there's nothing stopping her from killing the existing ivy and putting more up where she can keep it from going over to the neighbours property and causing them problems.
If the neighbours were complaining about sweerpeas growing through the fence I don't think anyone would think she would unreasonable in telling them to sod off, but ivy growing through to the neighbours garden through the fence isn't the same due to the invasion risk

Where does it say the OP planted the ivy? Maybe it was already there when she moved into the house. She's clarified that it's not anywhere near anyone's house or brickwork, so the only thing it's going to potentially destroy is the fence which she owns!

Yes horsetails and brambles are a pain in the backside. But i imagine your neighbours aren't planting them on purpose and saying they are keeping them because they like them, you can't stop all weeds from existing. But ivy is more destructive and the op could actually kill it off, but unless she does it is likely to become a persistent problem for the neighbours

Me too, over the weekend I was clearing and cutting back bindweed, nettles and brambles all with roots in neighbouring gardens and fields. And I own 3 out of 4 of the boundary walls and hedges - hedges which are being dragged down in places by bindweed and ripped (along with my hands) by bramble thorns which are sharp enough to go through gloves. Am I going to go round and dictate to my neighbours tell them off and instruct them like small children and call them lazy? No, it’s all part of gardening.

Some bamboos are the devil's work.

The point is the OP hasn't asked her neighbour to move the bamboo, because she's, quite rightly, not trying to control what they do with their garden. The neighbour in this scenario is being unreasonably rude and entitled.

Unfortunately a big part of gardening is dealing with unwanted plants cropping up in inconvenient places. I've just spent the morning filling up my garden waste bin with ivy, bindweed and horsetail, I'll get onto Mother Nature to lodge my complaint.

The legal outcomes regarding bamboo damage are generally very different to ivy because the damaging parts of bamboo can grow unseen underground for years doing damage the OP can’t possibly mitigate by pruning because she doesn’t know what she can’t see. If their bamboo damages OP’s property it’s very likely the neighbours will have to pay and it could be a huge amount. It’ll also devalue both properties. My best advice to everybody is check your own and neighbouring gardens (and not just direct NDNs) for bamboo and then ask the property owner to get an expert to establish if it’s one of the invasive damaging kind and keep a record of the conversations.

I stand corrected.
I was aware that some varieties can grow up to a foot in height in less than a day but didn't realise the roots were a problem.

It can be much much worse, destroying homes’ foundations. The parts of Ivy that can cause damage can be seen as they’re above the ground. Bamboo can grow underground and until it comes up through the foundations in the middle of your living room floor you’re none the wiser

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0hrn6yf

Some type of bamboo can be invasive and damaging
www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types/grasses/bamboo-control

As far as i'm aware, Bamboo, while very fast growing, doesn't root inside and destroy brickwork.

I think their problem is less with how it looks and more about how destructive it can become.

Didn't say it wasn't. Obviously shouting at your neighbours is arsehole behaviour. But so is planting invasive plants on property boundaries for neighbours to deal with forevermore. By the sounds of it, both of them may be guilty in that case as if the bamboo isn't contained appropriately that will soon become an issue for op and she may understand why the majority of people were telling her to get rid of an invasive plant. She may well be back on here in a couple of years complaining that she's had to tackle the bamboo popping up in her garden because the neighbours think it's her problem to maintain, they like bamboo so they're keeping it (I imagine they're likely to take this stance if she was unwilling to remove the ivy as tit for tat)

The OP’s neighbours’ rudeness and insults show clearly they already think the OP and her husband are being “arses” - that ship has sailed so at this point it’s a moot point. Perhaps if the neighbours had been kinder with their approach they would deserve over and above the legal standpoint. However, complaining about tiny bits of ivy poking minimally through a fence they don’t own may make some people think the complainants are arses. A solicitor may even advise the constant complaints are harassment. I bend over backwards and jump into action for neighbours who are nice about things, but not for those who try to issue me orders, insult and resort to rudeness. You reap what you sow…

Where as calling your neighbour lazy and repeatedly complaining at them to get rid of a plant after they've told you they're keeping it is not the behaviour of a controlling arsehole!

They should both get rid of their invasive plants or move them away from neighbouring properties

There's plenty of things you can do where legally no-one can stop you, but people would think you were being an arse if you did it.
Planting invasive plant species away from neighbouring properties is neighbourly and you can keep your plants to yourself. The neighbours are within their right to think it's a bit of an arsehole move to create a scenario where they have to monitor that your planting choices don't create a long term problem in their garden. Legally can they do anything, nope.

Interesting, the OP has said that the neighbours who are complaining about the ivy have grown bamboo up against her boundary…

This isn’t the legal standpoint. There’s no specific black and white law about ivy in the U.K.; it’s not covered by law like Japanese Knotweed. BOTH sides of the fence belong to the OP. Even if it caused significant damage to the neighbour’s property somehow beyond the OP’s fence a court is highly likely to find that the neighbour is expected to be vigilant in protecting their own property and not just leave it to damage their property when they have the right to stop the nuisance by cutting it back to the boundary line.

I hate ivy with a passion, its an invasive pain in the arse, our neighbours have it, it pokes thorough our fence, It's climbing on my trees etc. I'd love to put a match to the lot of it.

Then that's 10 too many.
Its invasive and causes damage.
Cut it back so its not touching or encroaching on their side of the fence at all.
YABU.

I just spray it with RoundUp now. Great idea. Kill the wildlife, poison the soil, sicken the children and pets and give the neighbours cancer. It may be Agent Orange, but at least it’s not IVY!
https://www.pan-uk.org/glyphosate/

They categorically cannot make you take it away. It is your garden and you may grow whatever you like in it. They cannot even make you you cut it back! If it protrudes into their side THEY can cut it back. They are being ridiculous!

Still, if I were you I’d remove the Ivy, poison it properly at the stump with a systemic herbicide so the root system dies properly.
Well, I think I’ve heard everything now.: ivy is so bad that a known human carcinogen is preferable, even where there are young children.

I can relate to these certain types of neighbours who just become more demanding and unreasonable the more you do to try to keep them happy. After my own similar experience I too advocate just doing what you need to do and perhaps find out your legal position and use that as your rule as to what you will do and what you won’t.

As the fence is yours it’s up to you what you grow on it on either side. Ivy is not illegal to grow in your garden. Your neighbour has the right to cut back to the boundary any plant with roots on your side that grows over their side. They do not have the right to touch your fence though, not even the side that faces them so maybe they’re conscious of this and that’s why they’re asking you to do it? Maybe they’re just not very nice.

If however you knew the ivy was a risk (which you do) to their property, IF it causes damage in the future to anything on their property or injures one of them because something fell down say and crushed one of them because the ivy with roots on your side damaged its structural integrity then you could be in legal hot water. It doesn’t sound like that’s likely, but be aware.

Id also be talking to them about their bamboo the next time they complain,
”Hi neighbour, thanks for letting us know about the ivy, clearly everything we do to keep it under control isn’t meeting your expectations so we’re going to get it removed. While I’ve got you, can we talk about your bamboo. Can you trim it back please and make sure it doesn’t cross our boundary line anymore. There’s been a lot in the press recently about how some varieties can do significant damage to neighbouring houses and gardens. Who knew eh! Because of that, we would also like confirmation that it’s not the invasive type that could come into our garden please from an expert in writing. As it’s in your garden and your responsibility I’ll let you get on and arrange all that. Thanks”