My neighbour chopped down my bay trees. Is this criminal damage?

[Yabbadabbadooooooo]

I trimmed a hedge between our properties, only from my side of the garden. The hedge between us is high as I haven’t got long handled loppers so I took a year’s growth off. I just came home from a day out and the neighbour has chopped down two of my bay trees in retaliation! The hedge is meant to be trimmed, it’s part of the lease. He intentionally came on to my property to chop down the two trees that frame the front door entrance my house. Can I call the police? Is this trespassing? Criminal damage? Thank you so much for any legal input. Our children are all at the same school and our kids are so upset.

Sorry, I seem to have voted you are being unreasonable but I didn't mean to press the button and was only trying to scroll down the page. It doesn't seem to let me change my vote but sorry, chopping down your trees is not on.

I would seriously lose my shit if he were my neighbour! What a bloody idiot……..definitely report as criminal damage AND he was trespassing to be able to do it too.

Send him a bill for replacements

Verbally admitting it (without a recording) isn't evidence

If you can find some way to get him to admit it in text or written form, or recorded phone call, then you can go to the police

OP what is this neighbour like generally and why has he allowed you to cut the hedge in the past but this time it’s annoyed him? Did he say anything specific on how it’s now different? Coming on to your property and cutting bay trees round your door is an act of someone with no control whatsoever. How did the discussion with him end? I would certainly tell the landlord what happened and then contact the police. Community police if you have them. I would want the trees replaced at his expense. Any chance of a neighbour having a ring video camera? I would from now on report anything he does that’s on the wrong side of legal.

I don't know if you are allowed to trim hedges in gardens at this tim of year but I went to do mine this morning and a sparrow flew out, I was a bit surprised but my neighbour stuck his head over the fence to say he thought it was nesting in there so I left it alone. he also said he thought i had a wren in my ivy.
Anyway OP, sounds like criminal damage to me

Did you record him admitting what he did?

Because if you didn't, he may very well deny it if the police contact him about it.

You could tell him that if he doesn't replace them by next week, you'll be reporting him to the police for criminal damage. You should start off by doing it in writing, do you have his number to text or WhatsApp him? You could say something like "Alan, after our discussion regarding you deliberately chopping my bay trees down that are by my front door, I expect replacements by the end of the week."

Don't threaten him, but if you've heard nothing by the end of the week, follow it up, with a "Alan, I'm disappointed that after you deliberately destroyed my bay trees that you have failed to replace them, you've left me with no option but to report you to the police for criminal damage."

That way, it's all logged in writing. But if he doesn't acknowledge it in writing, it's still not evidence that he did it.

He was ridiculous, you are allowed to trim hedges on your own side. Also, you need to check first that there aren't any nesting birds, to those saying you cannot trim them at this time of year, you can, as long as you've checked that there are no birds nesting in it. If there are, then you cannot.

They do nest in hedges.

Oh god, there’s always one utter wanker trying to bring their politics in to any and every conversation. Anything to pretend poor people are racist or some such toxic spew. Shut up and sit down.

I think I would be saying to your landlord that you can no longer maintain this hedge as per your lease agreement and it’s up to them to get it maintained as they see fit. After all they seem to want to tell you what height it should be and you are paying for it to be done for them. You've tried to honour the lease and had your personal property vandalised for doing so. Make it the landlords problem going forward.

I don't understand, it sounds as if your bay trees needed trimming ?

Trimming… by completely beheading them?

It is criminal damage. Report him to 101.

I don't understand why he was annoyed about the hedge in the first place! It's very intimidating.

If a neighbour was starting to be threatening and destroy my property, then yes, I would report to the police. It's not normal!

Do you have a witness to his admission?

Sorry, meant to quote the person who said birds don't nest in hedges.
I would be incandescent with rage if someone came onto my property and damaged my plants

We live on farmland in the middle of nowhere so no ring doorbells sadly. It that’s a good point re keeping a record, thank you

We live on farmland in the middle of nowhere so no ring doorbells sadly. But that’s a good point re keeping a record, thank you

Call the police and get the incident recorded.

You and some PP may not think they will do anything however it will be helpful if he does something similarly deranged in the future.

If no joy from the police, then you can take steps to recover your losses

Buy replacements trees the same size as the ones he cut down (Paramount plants do large ones and they deliver)

Send him a letter of claim to cover the cost (or rather your losses) with a deadline for payment. You need proof of posting (free from PO).

He probably won’t engage after which you can begin what was known as a small claim (google Money Claim).

He sounds like a moron and so unlikely to be able to fill in the paperwork correctly / submit a coherent defence / turn up at the hearing / convince a judge he is a reasonable person.

As such you will win.

Don’t worry about the lack of any video proof. It would be helpful but it is not essential to your case.

Generally they are a v weird couple. Their kids are lovely and at the same school as our kids but the parents are odd. They won’t let their kids into our house or our kids into theirs!

Did you cut the top of their hedge down?

I agree with previous poster. Replace the bay trees and send him a copy of the bill along with a deadline for it to be paid before court action. Then do it. According to what I’ve just read it will cost you £35 for a claim up to £300. These type of people need a sharp shock.

I think you'd better hope the company you work for don't see this thread and work out who you are! The fact that you think birds don't nest in hedges and you need to trim hedges in the spring! My husband works in grounds maintenance, looking after parks and nature reserves. They don't touch the hedges in nesting season! It's not worth it.

In the UK, a neighbour cannot legally cut down your tree without your permission if the tree is entirely on your property.

However, they do have the right to cut back branches or roots that overhang or encroach onto their property, but only up to the boundary. They must not tresspass onto your land to do so unless you give them permission.

If a neighbour cuts down your tree without permission and it was fully on your property, this may be considered criminal damage and you could potentially take civil action.

https://www.gov.uk/how-to-resolve-neighbour-disputes/high-hedges-trees-and-boundaries

Birds don’t nest in hedges? I’ll tell the birds in our garden in the morning they’re doing it wrong… we get blackbirds nesting in our hedges and never cut them this time of year. Perhaps depends on the type of hedge but they’re not the most clever of birds as we have dogs and next door would be a far safer location. They have trees next door too.

I’d report to the police on the website so it’s logged for future (unless planning to move soon).