What the ...! 'Furious ' is not enough right now

[notjustamummythankyou]

Our garden backs onto allotments, and we have a high hedge mixed with brambles at that end. Nice and natural, not causing an obstruction over the path through the allotment on the other side.

The 'gentleman' who we suspect has just taken over the allotment on the other side of our hedge has taken it upon himself to cut back huge swathes of brambles alongside this path. Doesn't affect us but a shame as its a well known blackberry picking spot.

I came home today to find him pulling down our hedge too! I'm so angry, its untrue. He said it was 'a mess' (its not) and 'blocking the path' (it never has).our garden is now half-exposed to the allotments with just a knee high chicken wire fence meant to keep out dogs which will now let yooves in.

Apart from our lovely green room not being the same, its a real security issue. We've had some trouble with break-ins coming over that way in our road. We've always been relatively safe because we had a hedge and not a fence. It feels very exposed now.

I don't know what to do now. I'm not sure what come back I've got, if any. So talk me down: I need fast growing security-conscious shrubs for a 6 foot wide space.

And if you've got any gin, that would be good too.

Incapinka, burning your hedge!!! What the hell did they think they were doing?! What about the creatures that live in it? What unbelievable idiots!!!!

Op, have you seen those wildflower bombs you can get?!!

ooooo, I like s good hedgegate! I'd be livid too!

This is my favourite sort of thread. Sorry for the loss of your hedge but thank you!

He will surely have to pay for re-instatment?

Update on Hedgegate:

I've spoken with the Allotments Administrator for the council, and she was genuinely shocked that this has happened. She's never known it happen before, and wasn't sure how to deal with it. It's been kicked up the ladder and I'm expecting a call from her manager.

I kept my cool, stayed professional and merely presented the hard facts: ownership of hedge, wildlife habitat destroyed, security issue, and the fact that Mr Knobby-Allotment is 'working' land outside of his tenancy. While we spoke, she said she had identified the person concerned from their records and now had a name.

Dh has discussed it with his lawyerly colleagues and the general consensus is that it is vandalism. Nobody can see that he had any right or business whatsoever to remove a physical barrier (whether 'natural' or artificial) between properties, especially when it was not interfering with his plot or preventing anyone from using the pathway (which isn't his business anyway).

On the Council's allotment webpages, allotment holders are encouraged to call 101 and speak to a designated police officer about vandalism / theft / damage on their allotments. I think I shall do the same thing ...

Loving the occupation of your dh, must be very handy!

101 sounds a good plan, I'd speak to the allotment administrators again before that as they may be better placed to deal with a resolution (hedge of your choice and size) rather than a 50p a week court order. Then again they may prefer police to deal with it.

Yes, dh has his uses!

I don't want to speak to 101 until after I've spoken to the allotment bods again. They may have a precedent for things like this (but, then again, maybe not!).

I am pushing thoughts of an insecure garden to the back of my mind right now, but it is a bit of a worry. Thankfully, with the weather being so nice today, there will hopefully be dog walkers and allotment owners out and about which may stave off any ne'er do wells in the vicinity!

Maybe if you've not heard anything by 4pm today chase it up and say your worried about your insecure garden. I don't think its unreasonable to expect a temporary solution

Yes, agree with having a think about how you would like this resolved. Eg do you want a new hedge - and if so, do you want the money to get it done, do you want the labour... Do you need a temp solution?
Do you want him 'punished' - eg by the law, or do you want him to lose his allotment?

Great news. I hope he loses his allotment.

Good points, damn and spotted. So:

1. Get to speak to Allotments Officer today
2. Arrange for secure temporary solution
3. Decide what we want as compensation. I'm thinking fence (sigh) with a couple of fast growing prickly plants on our side to deter climbing yoofs (a problem our street has had in the past).

Not so concerned about him being punished as such (ie criminal damage), but I think it's worth speaking to the allotments officer on that one. As I think I mentioned upthread, the council is tough on vandalism of and theft from allotments. It encourages tenants to report on 101, and we've had leaflets from the police encouraging the same thing. It makes a bit of a mockery of that if it can't be done in reverse, as it were.

If it ends up with him losing his allotment, then so be it.

I can't believe the bare neck of him! But it sounds like he will get his comeuppance.

We have Leylandii along three sides at the back. It's great for privacy but we hate it and I'm sure our neighbours do too. It was here when we bought the house so not our choice. The house was on a huge plot and bits were gradually sold off over the years. Along the back where the Leylandii is there is a small development of around six bungalows. I would love to replace the Leylandii but don't fancy the lack of privacy waiting for its replacement to grow! And the cost.

Isn't it also illegal to cut back any kind of hedge during bird nesting season (I.e now)

What an arse.

I thought it was illegal to cut down hedges at this time of year too.

I would be utterly fuming too!!

Well, it wont get your hedge back, but at least you now know where to chuck any snails and slugs from your garden (and your neighbours' gardens, and any you might encounter while out and about).

Someone further up the thread gave details of "ready made" mature hedges. I would look into this rather than go with a fence.

little fish - they do sound good. I was automatically thinking in terms of expense but, say, if the council sorts and we can replace like with like, then it's definitely an option, even if it is pricey.

No call back from the council. Have left a message expressing concern for our security and can they call to discuss a way forward asap. I got the impression this is a new one for them. They're probably in a huddle deciding what to do!

Have rung 101 too as I wanted to log the security issue, and to simply discuss the way forward. The police officer was really helpful, and said that if council takes responsibility it's a civil matter and they will back off. If they don't want to get involved, its a police matter. If the council hasn't decided what to do by next Monday, the police will take over. I've been given a crime reference number too, so that's one thing if all options fail and we have to claim on our insurance.

BTW, thanks all for your comments and advice. I know this is pretty minor with everything else going on in the world, but I've found it a bit upsetting. So "ta". and thank god for gin

Interesting. I live backing onto allotments too. Our property and it's garden were derelict and had ginormous overgrown trees (laurel) along the boundary.

We had to remove the trees and for security we put up a six foot fence around the entire perimeter. The fence forms the boundary of 3 allotments and the allotment entrance path. We have had people dump their rotting spoil/garden waste on the fence, piled up against it, causing in to rot, we have had people build lean to shelter things on it, causing damage and the council mowers have taken a chunk out of the fence too.

Watching with interest!

Sounds like you have everything well in hand. I am strangely fascinated by the thread and wonder if the allotment officer is aware of their obligations to you? Please come back and update. I hope you have no unwanted visitors to your garden in the mean time.

could you accidentally scatter some bird seed in his planting area? you get some WONDERFUL plants sprout from bird seed...

When he has finished growing his crops, just pop over your low fence and help yourself

Good ideas, nonickname and Lack!

Update on hedgegate:

Just had a call from the Allotments Manager who, as he was speaking to me, was standing looking at the damage at the bottom of our garden.

He said he was hoping to see just some form of cutting back, but that he was 'shocked' at the 'butchery' he was looking at: not just at our hedge, but further up the path too. He can see from the pile of branches left at the sides of the path that this isn't just a simple strim.

Aside from the ownership of the hedge, he is very concerned about the impact on wildlife. As others have mentioned up-thread, there is an issue here too, and even the Council is simply not allowed to touch hedgerows in any way until the end of the summer (bar a mild trim, I guess).

The Council won't recompense us (I thought it was a long shot), but they do want to see this through so it looks like the police will be involved from both the Council's viewpoint and ours. They have no precedent on this, so he is going to speak to the Council's tree people to get further advice.

I have been asked to put all this in writing "as strong as you like", so I do get the impression that this is being taken very seriously.

In the meantime, he is happy to arrange a temporary security solution as a goodwill measure. It does look like a permanent solution will be an insurance claim for us, and at least we've got a crime reference number for that.

So there we go. No one still knows how to deal with this, but at least it is being taken seriously and wheels have been put in motion to remedy it.

Doitjulia - what you're experiencing isn't on either. Do the allotments have a committee? Perhaps not if there are only three plots, but if they do I would contact them to complain.

Also look on your council's website and see who is responsible for the management of them. If the actions are rotting / damaging your property, then you do have a very good case to ask them to cease forthwith!

Take loads of pictures to show the damage caused, too. I've got the council doing that bit for me from allotment side, and I've taken pics from inside our garden.

Good luck!

Can you plant some bulbs to form the word TWAT in his plot?