to be getting really hacked off with my neighbours for not clearing up their hedge clippings? And can anyone explain why they're not? I'm mystified ...

[spicemonster]

Sorry this is hugely trivial (and a bit long) but I have to get it off my chest because it's annoying me and also I'd love an explanation!

I live in a house divided into flats - I'm on the lower ground and my neighbours upstairs have the ground floor. I have the back garden, they have the front and there are two other flats above them with no garden.

They have a massive privet hedge at the front of their garden which they get cut about twice a year. So they got it done about a month ago and they have bagged up all the clippings except one lot, which is probably about a bagful. It's been sitting there at the side of the path and it's got wet and grubby and a bit manky. Most irritatingly, it's right in front of where the bins go which means the bin men refuse to put our bins back (don't blame them). They had been putting them next door but now they appear to have disappeared off down the road somewhere so we only have one bin rather than three now.

I haven't said anything because I'm just really mystified why they haven't cleared it up. Why would you pick up most of it but not those last bits? And how can you just leave it there and not think 'gosh that must be annoying for my neighbours' or 'oh dear, the binmen can't put the bins back'.

They are a couple, able-bodied, early 50s so it's not that they physically can't do it.

Any ideas? And AIBU? I should just go and bag it up shouldn't I?

if they have the front garden and it's their property then it's absolutely no ones business but their own. if it's expected to be treated a a community space then all other tenants should havemade a financial or physical contribution to the hedge maintenance and disposal of the clippings.

It's not a community space. I wouldn't care about it only they've left the clippings on the path which does affect everyone in the house, not least because the bin men won't put the bins back when there is a pile of clippings in the way

I would just do it myself. When they are in. I think that would make the point more strongly than asking them to.

If it is one bag of clippings and it was on my path I would clear it up. Next time I saw the neighbours I would say "I cleared up the hedge clippings because we couldn't get the bins in" and give them a hard stare. That should buck up their ideas for next time.

You could have sorted it out in the time it has taken to post about it on MN

Maybe they think because the leaves are falling off every other tree now what difference does one extra pile blowing about make? Are there a lot of other leaves blowing about where you are?

The problem here though is also the bin men- so they collect the bins, lift them onto a truck, lift them off again, return them to roadside or whatever but refuse to go round a not huge pile of leaves?? Just kick them to one side (i.e. onto their garden) and get on with it. "The wind blew them over" didn't it?

I could do it but I've got a toddler and I'm a single parent so it's going to be a complete bloody pain in the arse for me to do it. I will have to do it at the weekend when he's having a nap.

Can anyone explain why though? Don't you think it's really odd?

I think you know already the reason the haven't done it/ didn't do it at the time was becouse they couldn't be bothered, after all it is time comsuming and a pain and when you get to the last bit you end up sweeping up anything and everything.

That said it is no excusse not to do it, perhapes mention that as you've lost the bins would they mind ringing the council and ordering a new one and you'll do the same so you'r back up to 3 bins. Hopfully droping the hint as to why they've disapaerd at the same time.

On the other hand, if you do clean it up what happens next time they cut the hedge? Will they leave the lot thinking you will tidy it away? I also think there maybe some legal thing about you disposing of the clippings as it is officially their property?

Yes only1malteaser, that is my concern. They do expect everyone else to do stuff for them. I wonder if they feel we should all take responsibility for their hedge in their garden ...