Can I require neighbours to remove ivy spreading over my fence?

[Mrssunshine65]

My neighbours have allowed ivy to grow up my fence. It’s now come over it and is invading my hedge. Can I ask them to remove it from both sides legally. They have been so nasty telling me it’s not their job to do my gardening

No, they’re correct.

Plants do grow and spread - they don’t pay attention to property boundaries!

You will need to cut the ivy off yourself.

Technically you should ask them if they want their ivy cuttings back. If they don’t, you will have to dispose of the cuttings yourself (you cannot throw them over into their garden, that counts as fly tipping).

The only way they could have any liability to deal with the problem is if the ivy actually damages your fence.

You need to cut what’s come over onto your side yourself or hire someone to do it. As PP said, ask them if they want the cuttings back. Don’t use weed killer or any chemicals.

You can’t legally ask them to do anything. You could offer to pay for removal from both sides if that’s an available option for you or go 50/50 but they may not want it cut back. You can only cut what comes over onto your boundary.

Cut it back to the fence and spray any bits you cant reach that are on your land.

I've been in a similar situation and read somewhere that legally if the fence is yours he cannot grow anything on it, so yes you have a right to ask him to remove it.

I had this. The ivy had been planted in a place in which the only place it had to go was up the side wall of my house. The house is at a right-angle to the neighbour's and I never even saw the ivy until it started growing across the window to my dressing room. I then had a look and it was ridiculous. I spoke to the neighbour and they cut it back and dug the plant out.

Can I ask them to remove it from both sides legally.

It's not going to be illegal to ask them. I don't know that you could force them to sort it but you can certainly ask. I did and my neighbour was very reasonable.

Of course you can ask. Nothing illegal about asking.

Apparently if the fence is legally yours, they shouldn't grow anything up it (attached) or attach anything else to it. Obviously they can grow something in front of it.
The issue is how do you enforce?

This has happened to us and it has damaged the fence. We're not going to replace the fence (but this will affect them more than us). If they want the fence replacing, they will need to deal with the ivy.

Has anyone actually found a weedkiller that will kill ivy? We've found it resistant.

I have this problem and it drives me mad. The neighbour also allows their many trees to overhang our garden so they block the light and ruin the lawn. They won't do anything about it.

Our neighbour has ivy that comes through, over and under our adjoining fence (the fence is ours). We just cut it/scrape it away every few months. It’s unsightly to us at least and it damages the fence so we get rid of it - it’s the least of the problematic issues that next doors garden gives us so the ivy seems like small fry 😂

My main fence is next to common ground/rough woodland.

This means I am constantly fighting ivy/brambles/overgrown bushes from the other side - which is never maintained.

You just have to cut it yourself.

You have to cut your own side yourself, my neighbours had ivy growing up our fence. I cut it all back and murdered it.

Is it your fence legally? Then yes you can tell them to remove everything off it!! If it’s a joint fence then no all you can do is remove off your side - suggest weed killer - if it’s your fence rip the lot off and throw back into their garden

Flame thrower that manages weeds. £20 on Amazon including 3 cans of gas

Where I live, we are lucky enough to have an ivy mite that infests and kills it. For a while I had the only patch of ivy along a back wall, because it was under an apple tree that I used to spray for codling, and the spray killed the mite.

The leaves are too waxy for weedkiller to penetrate, unless you bruise them by walking on them. Misting repeatedly with glyphosate does seem to work, and I think adding WUL helps it penetrate the wax. I have recently cleared a patch around my fence. If it is on a wall, you can cut all the stems about a foot above the ground. If the stems are flexible enough you can dip each stem, for several minutes, into a bottle of glyphosate immediately after cutting while the sap is still running, and it will draw it in and transport it to the roots. If they are too thick, paint concentrate onto the cut stump with a small paintbrush, several times. Trim away the ivy for a foot or so above your cut, so you will spot and remaining uncut stems. You will be able to see any regrowth and treat it again.

I think SBK would also work. It does not kill grass. Glyphosate is inactivated when it gets into the ground, after killing the roots.

Some people like to pull away the climbing ivy at once, I prefer to let it die and go brown, I find it easier to remove when its clinging tentacles are dead and brittle.