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[tickmike]

Yes we have a neighbor that's got  a Leylandi hedge .  
When we built our house 23 years ago there was only a chicken wire fence down our boundary on one side .
The neighbors then planted a Leyladi hedge 6 inches away from the chicken wire on there side, I said to them it was too close (But we know now they were selling up and not bothered).
Well we have had about three different neighbors since then, all but the latest cut the hedge twice a year on both sides.
The latest neighbors simply refuse to cut there hedge on our side (it's blocking our way down the side of our house and and along a path down the garden) , I have pointed out it's there hedge and they are responsible for it, they just said that they do NOT have to cut the hedge on our side.
They said that I can do it , to which I said I have far to much work to do in my garden and I do not have time to cut there hedge.
I showed this neighbor what it was like on our side today, she said we have cut the hedge for you, her son had made an effort to cut the height down (but it's still over 2 metre's and it's taken him five weeks to do it   ) he cut what he could reach from there side, left all the branches all over our garden, not cut off long branches on our side and these stick up about a metre above the hedge and branches come on to our garden about a metre.
 
What can we do ?.

[oldfogy]

 (it's blocking our way down the side of our house and and along a path down the garden)

What can we do ?.

Firstly as you may be aware, "Leylandi trees" are notorious for damaging the foundations of properties as they totally drain the soil of moisture. (Not to mention de-value adjacent properties)
I believe  there have been new regulations relating to Leylandi trees, so it might be a good idea to contact your local council.

If your neighbour refuses to cut the hedge/trees then you do have the right to cut them back to your property boundary line yourself, "but by law you must offer the cuttings back to your neighbour"

I heard of someone who dug a small trench down to root level and poured diesel into it, shortly afterwards the trees died.

[UncleUB]

Yes as OF says you have a legal right to cut anything on your side of the property and throw them back over the hedge as legally they are your neighbours.The roots can damage drainage and as OF says if near to property damage foundations.I personally would not try and kill off the trees as you could have a legal battle on your hands.You can always contact the council or seek advice from CAB.If it was me I would cut down the trees to 2metres trim the trees on your side and throw the cuttings over the fence,that way at least you are making sure the hedge looks ok on your side.If you don't want to do this and your neighbour won't,then the only way to go is find out your legal rights and then decide what to do.
Good luck.

[chrissie]

I don't know if this will help Mike, check it out and see  

http://freespace.virgin.net/clare.h/index.htm#MAIN    I

 know the councils can do something about overgrown Leylandii hedges but not sure of what the legislation is, it might tell you on the above site.

Chrissie

[scottiesmum]

  Putting diesel into the soil will contaminate forever  !!!        As has been said already, you have the right to cut back your side of the hedge and offer the cuttings  back to your neighbour   ...I'm not sure that he is obliged to prune your side.     You could use a hedge trimmer to make the hedge flat on your side, having given your neighbours the opportunity of pruning it   they can't then dictate HOW you prune it.   The  local council would be concerned with the height of a hedge if it was causing lack of light into your property and if you can prove that every attempt  has been made to resolve any problem with the neighbour; it may be worth asking your local council what their procedure is in your current situation. 

[oldfogy]

To be honest the only solution I can think of is to do as your neighbour suggests and cut it back yourself, although cutting it back to the boundary line (or as far as possible on your side) may make it look a bit bare it may grow back eventually.

Although you don't say how high the trees are, I would further suggest asking the neighbour to pay half the cost and have them cut down to a reasonable height, and please do not just throw the cuttings into their garden, unless they want them (which I doubt very much) this will only cause more problems and possible aggravation for you in the long run.

If this can be sorted amicably all the better, as there is nothing worse than having "Neighbours from Hell" living next door where things may even escalate into unknown problems in the future.

Finally, try and find as much information as possible as to the extent of damage that the trees can do to property foundations and show them that in the hope that it may help to change their minds.

I know and understand what you may be going threw but just doing it yourself may well be the best solution all-around.

Good luck.

[UncleUB]

Why not throw them into his garden?They belong to him.Thats the trouble with this country the innocent party seem to come off worse.

[oldfogy]

>> Why not throw them into his garden?
That depends on whether doing so would inflame the situation more so than necessary.
These people have to live next to each other, possibly for years to come.

>> Thats the trouble with this country the innocent party seem to come off worse.
Yes I totally agree with you.

"Been there, Done that, Brought the T shirt etc, and eventually had to move myself to be able to enjoy the quality of life that people are entitled to"

[Pwiggler]

i know that the waterways use a chemical to clear all vegitation from an area without contaminating the ground when they want to use some overgrown space.

you simply spray it on whatever you want to kill's leaves  and its dead in a few days but i cant remember what its called (might try the internet ??)

i have a similar prob with neighbours who wont prune their holly bushes and now we dont get any sun on our patio in the evening.

i've asked him politly and he said he would do it but he hasnt.  coz i asked him it would be a bit sus if they suddenly died.

i've also heard of pellets you can get.  you drill a hole in the trunk and insert the pellet and again its dead in a few days.

i'll have to have a look for them .......

[oldfogy]

i've also heard of pellets you can get.  you drill a hole in the trunk and insert the pellet and again its dead in a few days.

I think you will find that these pellets take a LOT longer than a few days.
Basically they are designed to rot the roots of a already chopped down tree stump.

[tickmike]

The law only seems about the height ( 2M) , they have made a effort to reduce it to just over 2 Metres.
It's the branches that are growing out of the side over my garden blocking my access that bother me.
Thanks Crissie for the useful link.
I phoned two solicitors today, they do not do free advice or free half hour and want £150 an hour 
Our council want £300 to look into it. 

Another problem is the lady (neighbor) is a law  teacher at a college   and she was pushing the point that the law does not need them to cut my side of the hedge 
Her husband works up north and lives there most of the time in there second house and only comes home (next door) once a month and that they do not have time to cut my side of the hedge 

I want to appeal to there good nature (if they have any ) to be neighborly and get it cut.

Failing that out come the 'copper' nails.or 'Glyphosphate' 

[oldfogy]

Failing that out come the 'copper' nails.

The only problem using the copper nail technique is that the nail heads have to be touching each other and totally encircle the trunk of the tree/s.

Please don't jump on me for the next suggestion, but:
Considering she has given you permission to cut them yourself, and considering they probably needs cutting only twice a year, could you not do this yourself and save any possible bad feelings ?

[UncleUB]

Mike you could always hedge your bets and contact your local Citizens Advice branch

[Accordion]

If your neighbours are open to being reasonable, then maybe you could share the cost of having them removed altogether and replaced by a suitable fence?

Maybe they would be quite happy if it meant they didn't have the chore of trimming the hedge twice a year.

Worth a chat over a cuppa and you could end up pals.

[Yorkie]

Does your council have a neighbours mediation service. It may be worth checking out.


Worth a chat over a cuppa and you could end up pals. - Mrs tickmike may have something to say about that.