Neighbour trouble – what would you do?

I've just moved to a new house, and at some point in the last 5 days or so, someone (it can only be the house behind!) has cut one of my trees down. Not just trimmed, but cut down and damaged another tree in the process. The tree grew more or less straight up, with a little overhang on to the neighbouring property. I've asked the chap, who denies any knowledge of it. So, the question is, what do I do? Suck it up & just accept some people are w*nkers or engage the f*cker in a turf war? 😈

Arrow marks the spot

Contact Police – criminal damage.

You mean someone came into your own garden and cut one of your trees down? Wow – lunatic behaviour, approach with caution.

Did they take the black arrow as well?

Is this your way of telling us that you've bought a nice big house?

Garry – that's the way it looks. Either some random person wandered in and cut it down, or he did it! He doesn't look like a lunatic, but I'm guessing he's a bit of an arse!

EDIT: KING-TUT – is a 3 bed semi a big house??

Contact Police – criminal damage.

And what prey tell do you expect them to do? Forensics?

woody2000 – Member

EDIT: KING-TUT – is a 3 bed semi a big house??

My mistake, I thought yours was the one to the bottom left.

s a 3 bed semi a big house

You Tory you….

Gotta tell the police and let them handle it. Or chop down two of his in a revenge attack?

🙂 – that's the "offenders" house! Mines the one with the car parked outside.

Ask around, someone should have seen/heard a chainsaw being used.

You could go round to his garden, naked, with a chainsaw,* and cut one of his trees down. That would let him know where he stands in the 'man don't give a f_ck' stakes. Personally, though, I'd probably avoid escalating things.

* Don't do this if inexperienced handling a chainsaw.

let the police know.

let matey know that youve let the police know (in a "ooh there's some nutters about, ive called the fuzz" kinda way)

plant another tree.

Ask around, someone should have seen/heard a chainsaw being used.

Chainsaw?! A decent penknife saw would get through that.

woody2000 – Member

– that's the "offenders" house! Mines the one with the car parked outside.

Ah he has more money than you – suck it up peasant. 😉

Seriously though, is the land to the rear, side and front of your property all yours?

My gut feeling is to tell the police, but obviously it's my word against his and not really the sort of thing I'd want to have the police dealing with.

tiger – green/liberal with slight right-wing tendencies 😀

Buy a whole row of leylandii (or however you spell it) and let nature and revenge take its course.

Chainsaw?! A decent penknife saw would get through that.

I was kind of thinking that, it isn't really a tree, more of a slightly developed sapling.

Shit through his letterbox. That'll learn him.

Buy a whole row of leylandii (or however you spell it) and let nature and revenge take its course.

Evil, but wonderful. 😈

K-T – yep, that's why we bought it. We previously had no garden, but had an allotment. So we're hoping for a bit of self suffiency!

Garry – should I smear myself in sh*t too? 🙂

It was an 18/20 foot Eucalyptus btw, so slim and tall.

Have you any real proof as to who cut it down?

Otherwise I think you might be stuffed.

My brother had just the same done to him, but had proof and took his neighbour to court, they cut down 6 20 foot trees, cost his neighbour £7k in the end.

Trees that size cost mega money to replace!

Good luck

Criminal damage. Its obvious who it was interfering with. I mean a neigbhour 3 doors down wouldnt have done it and the price of wood hasnt gone higher than gold now.

Speak to your local Officer, ask if this could be recorded however you do not want to pursue the matter at the moment.

Why? You don't need agro and this could blow out of total proportion. Little trees gone, move on (but have it recorded incase of any future dispute).

However, why not plant something else slightly further in?

K-T – yep, that's why we bought it. We previously had no garden, but had an allotment. So we're hoping for a bit of self suffiency!

In that case, stop worrying about that little tree (deceased) that is surrounded by loads of other bigger trees and go milk a hen.

Life is too short, that said if you catch him in the act in future then go rotovate is lawn.

leylandii – IMO cutting your nose of to spite your face unfortunately. I'd far rather have a fence than my leylandii hedge as it take so much looking after.

ski – no proof sadly, just balance of probability – no-one else really[/b] could have done it.

DId he clear up the mess? Tree surgeons cost a fortune, might have saved you a packet there

I'd inform the police just in case whoever it was does it again and let it go (did you have a massive attachment to this tree). Stay in "the right". Revenge seems good in your mind but usually esculates things, will bring on a load of stess and life is too short.

No, just cut it down and left it. You can see it to the left in the first picture.

Can't quite see what his problem with the tree was really – any idea?

K-T – yep, that's why we bought it. We previously had no garden, but had an allotment. So we're hoping for a bit of self suffiency!

In that case get some pigs and put the sty next to that fence!!

Sneak in during the night Jase and cut the middle out of his trampoline. That'll learn him…

PS – Sunday 23rd, fancy a ride?

the neighbour has obviously been p*ssed off for a long time and the previous owners had given him the finger when asked about the tree… so he's thought "mmmm somebody new is moving in i'll cut it down before they notice"

i'd do nothing other than make it obvious you know it was him and mess with his head the entire time you live there!

also plant a blossom, every spring it will cover his end of the garden, just make sure you trim it level with the fence as it grows, the wind will take care of the rest!

Eucalyptus are a pain when they get older IME. He has done you a slightly creepy favour. Plant some fruit trees at put it all behind you.

What time of the day did it happen? Surely someone must have seen it being chopped down.

No idea. I'm going to speak to the people we bought the house from to see if there was some ongoing issue, but as far as I can tell it blocked no sunlight, wasn't dangerous and wasn't really interfering at all. We've only had the place a couple of weeks so I hadn't really studied everything TBH. If he'd have asked, I'd have sorted out whatever issue he had, it's the just doing it then denying it that's the issue.

Can't quite see what his problem with the tree was really – any idea?

Looking at the overhead shot the neighbour appears to prefer lawn rather than a garden!!

Inform the Police. The go round, ask the neighbour and family round for a BBQ, beer etc. At some point in the evening, let slip how upset you were that the tree has been destroyed. How you thought it was too tall and were going to ask you neighbour if it would have been OK to prune it. Tell them how concerned you are that there may be some unscrupulous folk in the neighbourhood. Do they have any ideas who it might be, because the Police might be interested.

Do it properly and you'll have a very good neighbour.