Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To sweep leaves into the road

57 replies

thinkfast · 11/12/2020 14:54

There is a huge tree on the pavement outside our house. It's the only one of its kind on our long road. It blocks out all the light to the front of our house, drips sticky sap and leaves. The rest of the road has much smaller mostly cherry trees around 10ft or so. We have repeatedly asked the council to replace it with a smaller tree, similar to the rest of the road, but they refuse.

Our front garden is currently full of its leaves. Would I be unreasonable to sweep them onto the pavement, as they aren't our leaves, they come from the council's tree. The alternative is that I have to book and pay for a garden waste collection.

OP posts:
reginafelangee · 11/12/2020 16:55

Yes YABU. Your tree, your garden, your waste, your responsibility.

And it would be a waste of time - they will blow back in.

Almostslimjim · 11/12/2020 17:03

@reginafelangee

Yes YABU. Your tree, your garden, your waste, your responsibility.

And it would be a waste of time - they will blow back in.

It isn't her tree!

But OP you are still unreasonable and I would bet if the council find out they may fine you.

FlibbertyGiblets · 11/12/2020 17:05

@reginafelangee

Yes YABU. Your tree, your garden, your waste, your responsibility.

And it would be a waste of time - they will blow back in.

How can it be the OPs tree if it belongs to the council and grows outwith the OPs property? Confused
Original poster
thinkfast · 11/12/2020 20:50

Thanks for your comments.

To answer some questions - our front garden is not huge but the tree grows in a way that overhangs it so virtually all the leaves from that tree end up in our garden.

They wouldn't blow back into our garden as we have a wall and a hedge between us and the pavement. I'd have to sweep them down the path and into the road.

A google search indicates this would be fly tipping so I've decided not to do it. I'll have to bag them up and make an appointment to take them to the tip. Or pay for a collection.

Also for those who seem to think I dislike trees I don't at all - we have lots in our back garden which are carefully maintained when needed. Over time this tree has grown extremely large in the direction of our house. It's poorly maintained by the council who refuse to do much about it.

OP posts:
outofthemoon · 11/12/2020 23:57

If you have room for lots of trees in your back garden, couldn't the extra leaves go there?

Changethetoner · 12/12/2020 00:02

Some councils charge for garden waste collections.

Scarlettpixie · 12/12/2020 00:06

Just bag them and put them in your regular waste bin. No need to pay for green waste collection for the leaves from one tree! Split them over a few weeks if you need to,

changedmynameforChristmas · 12/12/2020 01:03

It's a tree. Have it cut down and plant another to compensate. If it is taking light from your garden and causing all this misery, cut it down.

I like trees. I love laburnham and willow and japanese maple and cherry trees. I could go on forever really.
I also like the large deciduous trees you find in parks and woodland. I don't think they are appropriate when they are a nuisance and spoil your quality of life

The Willow tree in my garden grows like wild fire. I have to have it pollarded every other year or it would dominate the garden. However it is in my garden at the bottom and not on the pavement outside the house blocking light and causing nuisance with leaves etc.

Get it cut down and plant something else in it's place that won't grow as big as a building.

nancy75 · 12/12/2020 01:11

Our council have special purple bags for leaves swept up from pavements by residents. It’s free but it’s not well known about at all - is it possible yours do the same (might be worth a call to ask?) the scheme is pretty well hidden on our council website

Suzi888 · 12/12/2020 04:51

Get it cut back? Obviously you’d have to foot the bill. Why should you have to deal with this mess!

Marchitectmummy · 12/12/2020 05:25

Why would you want to make tbe Street you live in a mess?

Sorry totally petty and inneighnourly.

HintOfVintagePink · 12/12/2020 06:34

Most of the houses in our road have trees outside their front boundaries like this, with huge leaves that fill all the driveways!
I resented paying the council for a garden waste bin collection which we were having to use to sweep up council leaves!
In the end I called them and tell them when we are planning to clear the leaves and they come a day or so later with a road sweeper and get them from the pavement.
Try calling the council to see if they would do something like that perhaps?

TW2013 · 12/12/2020 06:44

I am not sure but I think that you can cut any branches which overhang your property. You should offer them back to the council. Check whether there is a tree preservation order first.

BreakfastOfWaffles · 12/12/2020 06:50

I live on a tree-lined road, loads of big tress and the street is absolutely inundated with leaves every autumn. The council come and clear them, and most people who live on the road have leaf blowers. We blow the leavers from our driveways into tidy piles at the base of the trees. This is perfectly acceptable in our area, as the council are coming to clear all the other leaves that are on the pavement anyway.

Gretnacastle · 12/12/2020 06:50

Bag them up. Put at front of house with a little sign "mulch, £5 a bag"

Some scrote will remove them for you within 10 minutes.

ChardonnaysPetDragon · 12/12/2020 06:51

Mutilating trees because of some leaf fall seems overkill.

TW2013 · 12/12/2020 08:16

It is not mutilation. OP says Over time this tree has grown extremely large in the direction of our house. It's poorly maintained by the council who refuse to do much about it. If the tree is large, poorly maintained and not well balanced then it is more likely to fall over.

Original poster
thinkfast · 12/12/2020 09:38

We live in a conservation area which means that all tree works need to be approved by the council. They will not grant approval for us to get their tree cut back but say that they will get it cut back when needed. I think they have cut it back twice, perhaps 3 times in the last 35 years. Several of us have written to the council asking them to remove it and replace it with something smaller. They have refused.

I'll tweet the council and ask about purple bags. Thanks for that suggestion!

OP posts:
Suzi888 · 12/12/2020 15:39

Someone from the council advised me to drill holes and pour round up in.

ChardonnaysPetDragon · 12/12/2020 15:43

Someone from the council advised me to drill holes and pour round up in.

Did they? That's a offence, I would report them. And you, if you did it.

Nottherealslimshady · 12/12/2020 15:44

Big trees are very important. I dont condone you wanting it chopping down.

Sweeping leaves into the path and road would block the drain, and they'll be slippery as they decompose and the weather turns and you'll cause a slipping risk.

Do you have any woods nearby, I'd take them there the trees and wildlife will thank you.

Nottherealslimshady · 12/12/2020 15:48

Trees are more important than your garden being light and leaf free. The world needs them far more than it needs any one of us. Cant understand people that dont like trees and animals. I'd be so fucking depressed if there was nothing but concrete, brick and humans.

huuskymam · 12/12/2020 15:51

Don't sweep them onto the road, an elderly person could easily slip. Bag them up and ask the local council to collect them.

VanGoghsDog · 12/12/2020 15:55

I have two council trees at the front of my house that fill the street and my drive with leaves. The council won't sweep them up. But I'm not an arsehole, so I sweep them up and put them in the bin. Luckily we do have a garden waste bin but if we didn't, I'd just put them in the black bin.

Nanny0gg · 12/12/2020 16:36

@thinkfast

The difference with a small tree is that it wouldn't overhang our front garden so we wouldn't have to sweep its leaves.

The rest of the info was just for background. My question is simply aibu to sweep the leaves back onto the pavement? They aren't my leaves and I don't want to pay for a garden waste collection when it's not my waste.

YwbvvU.

Also, what was there first, the tree or you're living in the house?

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.