Neighbour trimmed the tree that hangs over in to her garden......but

[Blushingm]

She chucked all the bits she trimmed over in to my garden

Is this normal?

I don't mind her trimming it - trees grow - but I'm pissed off that she threw it all over in to my garden

No, it's a legal requirement to offer them back to the owner.

You're not allowed to just chuck them back over the fence.

I think you are both in the wrong here.

No that's incorrect.

They have to offer the clippings back, however the tree owner is under no obligation to accept them, and if the owner refuses them then the one who trimmed the tree is responsible for disposal.

WHERE did you see the tree needed to be trimmed?

Yes trees grow, she might not like it but it didn't mean anything needed to be done to start with.

It's quite scary really!

Please!

There is enough misunderstanding on the thread that suggests she may be sightly out on the exact wording of the law, I wouldn't worry about it. Maybe next time you see her apologise that you hadn't cut it back and say that if she ever needs to do that again, you don't need to return them, just offer them, and in future, you'd be happy if she disposed of them.

With our neighbours, we have an unwritten agreement that we each trim our big trees and bushes ourselves, including going round to their side, trimming the overhang and taking clippings away. Anything I trim in between, I dispose of myself. But that's only pretty small stuff. If the neighbours didn't come and trim big stuff on our side that might not work so well!

Aside from it not actually being allowed, you’d have to be a special kind of doormat to apologise to them.

It’s in the thread title - it hangs over into her garden. I imagined that it overhung in a way that was obstructive, hence the OP’s neighbour needing to deal with it.

Personally, I think the "letter of the law" is stupid in this case, because pretty much no tree owner wants to take responsibility for their overhang next door, so nobody is going to accept the "offer". They would all rather not deal with it, which I think is wrong. I'd be chucking back too.

Nope, I just value good relationships with my neighbours. If my plants are growing over their garden, I apologise and sort it out. They do the same in return.

These are the people who take parcels in for me, who keep an eye on my house when I'm away, who have a spare key for emergencies - of course I want to be friendly and keep them onside!

(Also, my neighbour wouldn't ever do this. We are friendly with them, and we communicate about stuff in both directions, so this kind of petty passive-aggressive behaviour doesn't ever happen.)

I would, if they asked. I'd then have massive green wood bonfire when they had their windows open and washing out.

If they want them removed they should dispose of them too.

If she's otherwise a decent neighbour I'd just assume she thinks she believes she's doing what she is supposed to in throwing them back over. Several people on here believe this to be true so maybe she just believes the same.

No

Go round, knock on the door.

Hello neighbour, see you’ve trimmed the branches on your side. I just wanted to come and say you don’t need to give me back the trimmings, I don’t want them. Are you planning a tip run to get rid of any garden waste?

She’ll say No, it’s your tree so you need to get rid.

You say, actually it’s fly tipping just to chuck them back in my garden - I really am happy for you to trim but you need to dispose of the clippings. I don’t want them. So can I pop them in your green bin or where do you want them putting?

OP, you should have trimmed it yourself and disposed of the cuttings. It's your tree after all.

The neighbour probably either has no green bin to dispose of them or their green bin is already full. Unfortunately, with councils charging for green waste disposal these days, such neighbour disputes are going to increase.

the law states she can cut any over hanging branches... she also has to return said branches to the owner... YOU.

she absolutely did the right thing

WRONG.

Legally she has to offer them back to you. You can then accept them back and put them in your compost heap or in your garden waste bin or if you have one a chipper for mulch. You are also quite allowed to say "Thanks but no thanks" and then SHE has to deal with the garden waste.

She doesn't have any right to simply chuck them over your fence. By doing that she could be seen as fly-tipping.

do not whatever you do listen to this advise... its not fly tipping... its the correct way to do things... its the OP's tree its growing in the OP's garden and therefore the neighbour although well within their rights to cut the overhang, it is also the legal thing to do to put the cuttings back with the rightful owner.

You lot are so arsey. Sometimes people get ill for a bit or trees/shrubs grow fast. Heaven forbid you sodding knock on your neighbours door about it first or put a note through. Does nobody talk anymore or you all just passive aggressive arses.

Our neighbour did this when DH was having chemo for cancer. It was a beautiful little tree and they hacked most of it down. If they’d just knocked we would have sorted it. Some of you sound so full of hate on here.

I'm a bit baffled by all the comments suggesting that OP is a terrible human being for not trimming "her tree". It's on the boundary so how is she supposed to reach the bit that grows over their side?

We have a scrappy half dead apple tree, choked by ivy, that sits just inside our neighbours boundary but still manages to produce and drop apples into our beck, which we have to clear out otherwise they block the calvert where it goes back underground. There is no way on earth that the neighbours can physically trim our side. The end.

NO IT’S NOT!!

she can offer the cuttings but the owner does not have to accept them. You are incorrect.

It is a legal requirement that she do that

No wonder disputes happen. Just knock on your neighbours door - the ones being so arsey about it.