Neighbours apple tree

[Rudolphian]

So we have lived in our house for over 10 years.
We have neighbours to the left and right of our house. We also have neightbours that border the back of our garden.
We have never met these neighbours and I'm not even really sure what street they live on.
We can see the back of their house. Their garden is really overgrown. I have never noticed anyone in their garden or their house. Their upstairs curtain dont open or shut depending on the time of day.
Anyway they have three fruit trees that border our back fence. A plum, apple and pear tree.
We cant reach the plum tree from our garden. If we lean over the fence we can easily access the pear tree. The branches of the apple tree over the years has started growing over the fence into our garden.
Early sSpring my husband was doing some work on the garden and was going to cut the branches that lean over the fence. I told him to leave it and we'll just take the apples when they grow.
In the last 10 years the neighbours have never collected any fruit from the trees and usually just leave them to drop off the trees.
Are we being CF's if we take the apples this autumn?
Extra info
both kids can reach the branches so they are always taking the unripe apples and using them to make potions or in the garden.
I wouldn't be able to locate the front of the house if I tried. I really dont know what street they are based on due to the layout of the local streets, and even if I could I wouldn't be sure which house is theirs.
Pic showing the branches and apples.

Nope not cheeky.

Surely you could work out the house via the streetview satellite views if you really wanted to?

Regardless, I thought that legally you can cut back, pick, strip whatever is hanging over into your property. I would certainly pick the apples and make use of them. Maybe the owner is elderly and can no longer look after the garden. I'd even be inclined to work out which house it was and ask if you could pick some of the other fruit. Then take them around some lovely plum jam, pear jelly and apple chutney

You might not be able to locate their house but they'll definitely know yours.

I'd take the ones which were on my side of the fence, I wouldn't touch the others. It's weird how possessive people get over things that they usually ignore once others show an interest.

I have a cherry tree in front garden. People come and fill bags. My tesco delivery man was eating them today. I dont care all that much but think that's abit rude. Your not rude though as it overhangs your garden.

Just look on Google Maps and you can see which garden backs on and which house it belongs to. That said, you can cut back the branches that overhang your garden and if your kids always take the unripe apples that might be why your neighbours don’t have any ripe fruit to pick.

You can’t work out which house backs on to yours even with the invention of satellite maps on google?

We live on a main road. There isn't a turning off for a while up or down the road. So you need to drive down for a while then into a one way system.
I can work out the street but wouldn't be sure on the house. It would be between 6 to 8 houses.

There is plenty of ripe fruit left in the Autumn but no one picks it. The birds usually get it.

Google maps

You are entitled to prune anything that overhangs your fence. Do that and keep the apples.

Go for it. They’ll only drop off into your garden anyway.

We have an apple tree with branches that hang into a neighbouring garden, I would have no issue with them picking them. We get more than we can use as it is

You are entitled to prune anything that overhangs your fence. Do that and keep the apples

You can prune it but legally you don't own any of it, including the apples. I'm sure it's not a big deal in this case.

Agree with others, you can take what is growing in your own airspace but not lean over into theirs.

@campion

You are entitled to prune anything that overhangs your fence. Do that and keep the apples

You can prune it but legally you don't own any of it, including the apples. I'm sure it's not a big deal in this case.

Oh, actually, I think this is correct - you have to give the branches back don't you. Scrub my last answer!

@labyrinthloafer
You do. As if anyone would want them back though - that'd be a bummer after some free pruning

Legally, like posters above say, you can prune the tree but have to give the branches (and I imagine the fruit) back. But realistically, take the apples that over hang your garden. If they don't do anything with the tree they're not going to miss them. With google maps satellite view it would surely be possible to narrow it down though, if you locate your garden and see which house theirs is and count from one end of the road?

google maps, streetview or even local council maps will all indicate where the house is. You can gather what fruit falls into your garden and cut overhanging branches.

I think you’d be able to figure it out using google satellite view. However, I’d pick as many apples as I could reach, they probably wouldn’t notice!

Thanks for the responses.
Just wasnt sure if we were being cheeky especially as we let the branches overgrown on purpose for the fruit.

I get some lovely crumbles from the apple tree in next doors garden every year. We make a joke about it - ‘you better grow some good apples for me this year! etc.

Do it

The apples over your garden are fair game I'd say - morally obv, legally it's different as has been stated.

You say you can easily reach the pear, which suggests that you do do this. That would be poor form and you should not do that.

You clearly could work out which house by use of google maps/google earth/street view. It's not at all hard if you actually want to, but it's fairly clear you don't... which is fine, just eat the apples over your garden.

We dont take the pears.
We've got our own pear tree and get loads.
We also have a dwarf apple tree, we planted it 8 years ago, but it hasn't produced any fruit. I think we just planted it in the wrong place. The last 4 years the dwarf tree produces lots of blossom but they just fall off.

My neighbours have a proper cherry tree. I'd pick the fruit it the birds didn't eat it all first.