Neighbour cut back our plant!

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Out neighbours have ripped everything out of their established garden - none of our business of course and they haven't said anything about their plans for it. What I am upset about is that I looked down our garden when I got home from work and saw that they have chopped off a big climbing plant of ours and thrown it all back over on our side.

Now, I know they are within their rights to cut off anything that overhangs their garden, but they have leaned over our side or gone through trellis part of the fence and have cut the plant off across all its thick stems about a foot below the top of the fence on our side of the garden. They haven't cut it neatly either - all of the stems are mangled and split. It was a well-established plant and I think it will eventually recover and grow again. But I am cross and upset that they didn't discuss anything with us first. If they had wanted to cut it all back on their side, I would have been happy to help with that and would have done it carefully so as to keep it looking nice on our side.

What I have been left with is a lovely plant, with split and mangled stems, all the top growth now dying and left lying across our lawn in a big heap.

I don't want to have a big dispute with them, but do I have any case for redress? Our previous neighbours were so lovely and it is a shame that our new neighbours just do things like this with no discussion at all. We really struggle in this household as DH and DS1 are both disabled and I have a long-term chronic illness.

I would be really upset too. Try this forum for advice www.gardenlaw.co.uk/

Even if you decide not to go down a legal route or want to make a big deal of this with the new neighbours, I definitely think you could make a point of saying that if they had asked you would have arranged to have the plant pruned back properly and that they have potentially damaged a favourite climber.

Thanks for your reply - I have posted on that forum and will see what happens!

Wow they sound nuts. What a very peculiar thing to do. And a horrible thing to do.

You are right of course that they can cut anything overhanging but not poke through the trellis and chop your plant up

i imagine the advice will be to go and talk to them but if i were you I'd not know what to say, imagine it wouldn't go well (they are clearly not reasonable) and just send hate vibes through the fence! So not very effective!

I hope you get some good advice on here and the other forum. i am not surprised that you are upset and angry.

We will have to say something to them as they should be made aware that what they have done is out of order. We are nice neighbours (well, other people have told us that!) and when we eventually move they might get someone who would kick up a huge fuss about something like this. They are a lot younger than us and might not be aware of the legal issues here.

If you want things to stay polite then don't criticise what they've done (they'll get defensive), but ask that next time they need to cut back one of your plants that you'd prefer to do it yourself.

It is apparently "polite" to return cut branches etc to neighbours when you have chopped back their plants. A neighbour once did it to us, and I found it very objectionable. You do have to live next door to these people though. Having had disputes in the past, I'd say try to remain friendly!

What a rude nieghbour. However if it is legally their fence then they don't have to allow you to let anything grow up their fence even if its on your side It's different if it's a shared fence or if it's yours. You need to check your deeds. If the fence does belong to them I would be concerned that if you say anything to them, however reasonable and justified, they may take the hump and not let you grow anything up their fence at all.

Good luck

greyvix - i understood that they have to offer you the branches. you don't have to accept them though.

They kind of pushed the whole plant back over so it flopped down across our garden and all of the big stems split and broke. Yes, they might get arsey about the plants growing up the fence of our side. But these are very old houses and these plants have been growing up the fence for years.

In the end, we got our gardener to cut the whole plant back, with the hope that it will recover. We haven't said anything to the neighbours yet as we hardly ever see then anyway. It's just a continuation of slightly nasty niggly stuff they have been doing in recent months. Accusing us of playing loud music until midnight. Which is laughable as we are all ill or disabled and go to bed very early indeed!

22.05 tonight is very late for me!

Do you think maybe they had someone clear their garden for them and they may not even be aware that this has been done?