Obsessive neighbour losing the plot over leaves

[Sparkies2012]

Our neighbours are a relatively elderly couple and since they moved in have had a bee in their bonnet over leaves that blow onto their driveway. The gate to our driveway is opposite to their open driveway, separated by a narrow road. Our next door neighbour has a massive old tree in their garden that produces a lot of leaves, most of which fall into our driveway. We don’t really bother collecting the leaves, as it is an endless task at this time of the year, but the elderly couple is constantly on at us because the leaves blow across the road into their driveway and the odd one gets in their front door. Now we have told them we don’t produce the leaves, and they don’t bother us, so if they are bothered by the leaves either pick them up or take it up with our neighbour who owns the tree. But now they have even started collecting them in black bags and, under the cover of darkness, leaving them in front of our driveway gate, or throwing them over our fence. I’m tempted next time they do this to open the bag and dump it over their driveway again. AIBU by not picking up the leaves in our garden?

I vaguely remembered something about Sheffield and its trees so had a google - this is a great read about the campaign to save the city's trees. My son studies there and I did think it was really tree filled and leafy!
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/oct/24/chainsaws-disguises-and-toxic-tea-the-battle-for-sheffield-trees

Can you pin, staple or sellotape the leaves back on the tree, perhaps? With a sign on the trunk reading

SORRY FOR BEING DECIDUOUS IN NOVEMBER

When they're wet they do get hazardous re slipping if left on the path though, especially once we start getting frosts. Great for gardens, terrible if you want to walk anywhere.

This is the sensible, proportionate, adult course of action.

There is no need to take revenge. Simply tell them, clearly and calmly that

1. the leaves don’t bother you
2. you are under no obligation to clear them up and choose not to
3. putting bags in front of your drive or over your fence is fly tipping and causing an obstruction and they need to stop it
4. if they continue, you will report them to the council, with evidence from your security system to back it up.

As I said on a post earlier- whilst it is annoying as hell- I would leave them to it and say nothing , very very sad that they have nothing better to do with their lives, but I have found some older people (I'm 61) become obsessed about life admin 'stuff' - be it bins or trees or parking or neighbours gardens

Oh my god, @coldcallerbaiter, I actually spat out my coffee! Please, please OP post the unstamped letter containing a single leaf! My neighbour sweeps entire drive every dry day, and carries on to sweep the pavement in front of her house. Garden and drive immaculately chipped, with pots containing cowering little bedding plants. Nothing exuberant - just regimented and symmetrical. I would hide behind the couch if she came to my door, I am definitely not property proud enough for her!! (it is whispered she cleans behind her fridge every week!)

I can understand why elderly people are concerned about slippery leaves but it’s not your problem. Put the bags back on their drive.

This actually made me lol!

OP, are you a gardener yourself, with a compost heap? If you did gather the leaves (because you wanted to), where would you be putting them?

Where I live, a green waste bin is a chargeable extra. Why should YOU have to get one, if you wouldn’t otherwise have one, just to please them?

If they’re fit enough to gather the leaves and put them in black bags, they’re fit enough to put them on their own compost heap or in their own garden waste bin.

I think we should demonstrate for the council to be clear - call for a ceasefire now .
The OP's retaliation needs to be proportionate to the crime .

Thank you for this. Such beautiful words 🌱🌿🍃🍂🍁

They sound a bit obsessed tbh, although leaves can be a nightmare blocking gutters etc (not the issue here I know).

But do you blame your neighbor for rain and frost?

You can dislike it (I dislike most weather here) but its still a natural thing, nature is going to nature... trees and rain/cold was here before humans and will be long after.

I would ask the police to have a quick word with them. That will sort them out.

Bloody weirdos. Why are people so strange ?! I would be suggesting they look to move to a detached farm house with no neighbours or trees nearby.

😂

Leaf mould is fab stuff.
Can't understand these neighbours..its leaves..not turds

I had neighbours like this in my last house. They were crackers. I remember them losing the plot over some fox poo.
I said they should go and live in a glass dome so no troublesome trees or pesky wild life could get at them. They didn't speak to me again.

I’m going against the majority but to keep the peace and not wind up the elderly neighbours I would rake up the leaves on your drive once a week and put them in your green bin or keep them in bags. I wouldn't pick up every last leaf but I’d make a 15 minute effort to pick up the majority. I’d knock on the neighbours door and say ‘Look, they’re not our leaves but I’ll pick them up once a week to keep things tidy, that ok? Let’s not fall out.’ I’d rather live next door to people that got wound up about leaves (they’re probably worried they’ll slip on them) than people with noisy kids, loud music, antisocial behaviour etc.

Gettingbysomehow · Today 11:51

I said they should go and live in a glass dome so no troublesome trees or pesky wild life could get at them. They didn't speak to me again.

Result!

Put one of these in your window with a sign that says 'I am watching you'

There's a lot of interesting scientific research about how brains decline in older age as a normal thing (not as extreme as dementia or alzheimer's or anything), but people don't realise it, which is why their behaviour starts to seem strange to others but appears logical to them.

Tip the leaves back on your driveway.

ODFO with your boomer comment.
I was enjoying this thread up to now.