Neighbour vandalising garden

[Witchonastick]

I have a nasty spiteful neighbour who is constantly ripping and snapping pieces of my hedge.

Our gardens have a public footpath running along bottom of them, so although the footpath is fenced off we own the land the footpath is on, if that makes sense.

Nasty Neighbour took umbrage with us as we wouldn’t do as we were told and wouldn’t let her dictate how our garden/house looks.

She would obviously be entitled to cut back anything encroaching into her garden, but this is a public footpath and our property.

The hedge is getting so threadbare that it offords us no privacy from the footpath now, when it was growing to make a good screen.

I know it’s her, as she was doing the same to the hedge that separates our gardens untill I threatened to fence it with a solid fence.

I don’t wish to fence the bottom of the garden with a solid fence, as we back on to fields and a hedge is more wildlife friendly and looks nicer for the users of the path.

I have a motion camera set up so could catch her in the act.
Do I go with this evidence to police or solicitor?
This may sound petty, but it feels like harassment and that our garden isn’t our own.
What should I do?

It's criminal damage. I suggest letting her know you have footage of her damaging the hedge and will take it to the police unless she immediately stops damaging it.

Would the police actually take it seriously do you think?
And is there any way she could wriggle out of it?

I once I have footage I could put it together with other forms of harassment we’ve endured from her.
She has also bad mouthed us to anyone who’ll listen.

There's your answering - she is harrassing you. They will have a word with her I should think, especially when you have filmed evidence of her behaviour.