Neighbourly disputes over blackberry bush?

[Lilianna123]

Next door have a large blackberry bush, the roots of the bush are in their garden but the bush is overhanging and growing through our fence.

Me and the kids picked some of the blackberries (ones hanging over our side) and made a blackberry pie. Presuming the neighbour had seen us picking them, she has now left a note through our letterbox claiming these blackberries 'belong' to her.

Surely if she was that bothered by them, she'd have taken measures to ensure the bush only grew over her side. This has resulted in nasty looks being thrown across the driveways and small snide comments being made to us.

Who's in the wrong here?

Yes pigs we do! And a few other people around our area as well. We have far too many to eat and they'd go to waste otherwise

Send a response,

"Dear BlackberryLady, I sincerely apologise for the use of your blackberries for mine and my children's pie. We incorrectly assumed that as they were on our property along with the roots of the bush, it would be acceptable. Clearly I was wrong. Please accept our apologies and thanks for clearing up the issue of ownership. Now that you have laid claim to the bush I have attached an itemised bill for the removal of the roots on my property and the damage they have caused to the fence."

Attach the letter to a box full (to avoid fly tipping rule) of every branch that reached over, with blackberries still attached but mashed beyond usable

As Yournewspaper says! Write her this letter Op please! 😄

It's good to hear that there are still people willing to share their fruit, unlike OP's miserable neighbour.

Think Yournewspaper's response is stop on.

I know the Offer the branches back" law when cutting branches but I know my NDN would say "No that's ok" and I'd have to dispose of them at my expense (we have to buy bags)

So, I tuck the offending branches back over the fence and cut , like an act of nature has just snapped them, so they fall on their side. Takes a while (and I do it unseen) but I'm very skinflinty.

WRT your NDN though, I'd lob a few very ripe brambles at her washing and blame the birds

Yournewspaper's response is spot on not stop on.