Tree in neighbours garden

[Breakingpoint1961]

Which is a laurel and full of berries, and they are all dropping over my garden. The pigeons nest in it, and they then s**t all over my fence panels.

The tree is at the end of their garden (so their back fence) my garden runs along their back fence, it hangs over into mine, but it's also very high, cuts out a lot of sun in mine too.

I am going to ask (politely) if I can lop the top off, I don't see a problem for them to be honest, but I want to get my ducks in a row, so my question is, do I have any rights to asking if I can do this? ie my garden is a bloody mess with the pigeons s**t and the berries everywhere.

I will do and pay for the work.

Legally you can cut off any overhanging branches. But you could ask politely if other parts of the tree could be trimmed but they can say no

If the tree doesn’t have a TPO you can lop back overhanging branches to the boundary and offer the cuttings back (not throw them over the fence). However, I would ask your neighbour first and explain the problem.

I would think it unlikely that they’d want the whole top chopped off as it would look awful and possibly kill the tree. Personally, I’d stop thinking about it in terms of ‘your rights’ because that’s the quickest way to get people ‘s backs up and you don’t have any particular rights in this instance. Just explain the problem and offer to pay to get the tree pruned.

Yes I have asked before and paid etc and the neighbours agreed and this was to remove a complete tree.

Are you my neighbour. God they make me miserable, all signs of nature slowly being eradicated.

As pp say, you can cut back anything overhanging your garden. Go and ask your neighbours if they will let you lop the top off the trees and bushes.

Bear in mind that you cannot legally do anything if there are birds nesting, which you say there are. You have to wait until they've left which is normally the end of September.

And birds poop, it's not your neighbours' fault. 😀 I have robins that roost on my garden chairs with the same result. Just have to keep cleaning them.

@DisforDarkChocolate vipers out this early

You don't know me..I will treat that remark with the contempt it deserves..

@MintJulia yes I know re birds nesting..

I have 11 fence panels covered in poo, it's hard cleaning them..

Just to add about the nesting thing because that always comes up on these thread and people invariably post misleading information:

www.rspb.org.uk/about-the-rspb/about-us/media-centre/press-releases/tree-and-hedge-removal/

It is an offence under Section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981 to intentionally take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built, or to intentionally kill, injure or take chicks or adults, or intentionally take or destroy any eggs (with some exceptions).
^^
If no active nests are present, works may legally take place. However, our advice to anyone considering tree or hedgerow management is that any work should be avoided between March and August.

@Inklingpot thank you, I had no intentions of removing/destroying nests, the process would always take place outside of the nesting period.

No probs, I was more posting that for the people who inevitably pop up and start saying it’s illegal to do tree or hedge work in nesting season!

If you’re offering to pay and it’s a sensible time of year for it, I’m not sure I see them saying no. They may have been putting off getting it cut back because tree surgeons are so expensive!

I've got one of those too. Plastic grass, trampoline, decking, hacks back anything which veers across the boundary.

I have a neighbour who wants me to remove a beautiful mature tree because it shades his patio for an hour in the evening! Unlike OP, he didn’t even offer to contribution to the hundreds and hundreds of pounds this would cost!

the tree is older than the houses.

he doesn’t have one hint of nature in his garden.

OP you can and should remove overhanging branches. But complaining that trees have berries and attract birds does seem a bit uptight!

Who cleans poo from fence panels! Honestly, life's too short for that surely?

Laurel isn't native to the British Isles anyway, so it will be of limited value to native wildlife (other than the pigeons, clearly), and although I'm a firm believer of the need for trees, laurel isn't a tree, it's just a nuisance.

@pd339 my neighbours do, it must really piss them off we feed the birds. Mind you they've just had tree surgeons in massacre their shrubs and a beautiful tree that overhangs their garden a couple of feet. Damaged some birds nests with chicks but hey, nature's just too messy (I hate my neighbours).

@DisforDarkChocolate
Its possible to replant with trees that are suitable for gardens that wildlife prefers. A few pigeons eating berries from a laurel isn’t going to worry the pigeons much if it goes. Laurel is a weed. It’s evergreen and doesn’t support as much wildlife as broadleaf deciduous trees so. It’s also not native in the uk. It’s a terrible choice of tree and no doubt planted so they block out your house.

Unfortunately if you cut back your side it will look scarred and ugly. It will grow back but you won’t like looking at it. So be nubs to your neighbour and see what they say. Your only “right” is to trim it back to the boundary. If it was a cherry the birds would be there too. Nesting in a laurel? No. Most birds have more sense. Also Laurel berries are poisonous to animals. So it could be a bay Laurel.

Can I just state, I am NOT a bad neighbour. I love wildlife (bar slugs) I grow vegetables and have put time and effort into making the garden look pleasant (no fake grass here) but not beautifully landscaped. The berries are everywhere on my lawn now, loads of them. I have bought a sofa set that will get covered now in berries, so that needs repositioning. It seems it's only the pigeons that bother with the tree.

The fence looks unsightly with bird poo, and it IS the pigeons!

I love watching the little birds, they are a pleasure..but im afraid I do not love watching pigeons anywhere!

Just to add, if fake grass is easier to manage, then so be it, not for me, but it's each to their own!

I would put loose garden netting along the top of the fence with drawing pins to discourage the pigeons. Also a plastic kite thing in the shape of a bird to scare them off. They used to be controlled by farmers but not now and are a menace, as are rooks.

@SaintHelena
"I would put loose garden netting along the top of the fence with drawing pins to discourage the pigeons."

Please do not do this as birds (and also cats) could get trapped in it and be strangled.

This is a better idea;

www.birdspikesonline.co.uk/Bird-Spikes/Pigeon-Deterrent-Spikes

@Breakingpoint1961
Try talking to your neighbours. Laurels are not suitable for small gardens. Pigeon spikes won’t stop pigeons in a tree. I feel your pain. But you’d best bet might be cutting it back to the boundary. If will look ugly though. The pigeons will be in their garden, not yours. But taking this tree down is best. Replant with a better one.,

We inherited laurel in our garden and it's horrible ugly stuff. Just waiting for a tranche of work to take it out and replace with something more attractive and native.

Could you offer to buy your neighbour a replacement to their taste? I would snap your hand off!

I would start the conversation by asking what their long term plans are for the laurel tree, because it's grown a lot and you wondered if they would mind you getting it reduced a bit. Then go by their reaction, and judge if they would be happy if you suggested getting rid completely and replacing with something else. If they're amiable maybe offer to show them from your garden how it looks to you as it's often hard to visualise how something looks from a different perspective. I wouldn't mention the pigeon poo personally, just focus on the height/light issue. Good luck.

Totally this, we had lots of mature gardens all around and they are all being cleared. There were birds, hedgehogs & even rabbits. Now it's all fenced, so the hedgehog habitat is destroyed & I really miss the privacy from the trees.

By all means discuss, particularly as it's not currently birds nesting season about pruning or replacing with a better native hedge but really, it's up to them.