My hedge is destroyed

Jenpax I totally agree - and there's another thread about direct discrimination against renters. I feel really sad that some people feel like this. Most of us have been renters at some point, some of us still are - and I've known some horrible people who happen to be home-owners. This is not what proves our suitability as neighbours!

The other thread is asking what they can do about it. Pretty shocking.

GoldenAge I am glad someone else objected to the discrimination shown to renters in some of the replies! Why is it that renters are seen as second class citizens in this country by so many with less rights and respect than home owners?

I'm sure someone else has said this but if the bushes were overhanging the pavement he has the right to do this, though why he couldn't have asked I don't know. If branches overhang your property you can cut them but must return them to the owner of the tree/bush, which is what he did by dumping them in your garden.

He certainly seems to have not behaved in the way most of us would expect or hope a neighbour would in that situation.

It is, however, hard to know what other people are thinking - he could have believed he was saving you the bother, he may have a real problem with OCD or some other issue.

I think it is right to tell him that what he did wasn't acceptable, but it sounds as though you should avoid escalating things. Maybe take photos and log with council or just with a date stamp and a friend who witnessed it? I don't know legal aspects of this, but understand why you would want a record in case he does other odd things.

We had something similar with a neighbour who had lived in our cul-de-sac for a while and we had been here about a year I think. My husband calmly showed him the law regarding the situation - it didn't calm him down! I have since chatted to his wife and been as friendly as I can and waved when he drives in/out the street. I think that approach may have calmed him down - time will tell. From what I can gather, he does seem to think others should play by his rules, but we've not had any other issues.

Hope it all settles down for you.

After all, he did come over to tell you about it...

As I have no idea how old or infirm the OP appears in real life, is it possible that as 123Kitty says, the hedge trimmer actually really did think they were doing a favour? I know Cava thinks not but I'm still not sure. Lots of people have odd ideas about being helpful.

Doesn't sound like he's a very pleasant man and as you say to mention it to you would have been a much better way to deal with it.
However overhanging hedges and low hanging tree branches have made me angry in the past, particularly when they're wet. I've had to step into the road when walking my two dogs and disabled son ( wide load) . The irritation can build up. He definitely didn't go about it the right way though. I'd just steer clear of him

Well, I haven’t seen GN so animated for a long time.

Can you not just post a picture of the offending/offended hedge, Cava, otherwise it’s not really possible for anyone to start to allocate rights and wrongs here?

Some posters are so vehement you’d think they’d actually want this man (and his young family) run out of town. That the man is new to the area and renting is totally irrelevant to the matter. As is whether he has moved there from “an estate”. As for advocating videoing his “wide children”, I have to say words fail me.

If he dumped the hedge trimmings on your path then your delightful neighbour has broken the law. He was right to return the trimmings as they belong to you, however he dumped them on your path which is fly-tipping - an
offence.

Did your neighbour cross into your garden at any point during his attack? Likewise, if he cut into the hedge beyond your garden border (even by an inch) this is trespass - also illegal.

Did your neighbour check the hedge to make sure there weren't any bird nests? If he has damaged any active nests then your neighbour has also broken the law.

What your neighbour should have done was approach you and explain the problem. If you had refused his request then the legally correct procedure requires him to contact the local council as they are the owners of the footpath. In fact, the local authorities, as owners, have a responsibility to ensure that footpaths are safe for pedestrians.

If I were you, I'd report him.

I agree that he should have either talked to you or brought it to the attention of the local council rather than cut your hedge back.

But having said that we have a neighbour whose very overgrown hedge sticks out onto the pavement and I have to resist the urge to either prune it or set fire to the blasted thing.

Find this totally unbelievable that a neighbour and a new one at that should act in such a way. What an arrogant manner as well, the so and so cheek of it has me shaking my head. He is way out of order, lack of manners and should have come and spoken to you first without acting as he did. I am sure he was breaking the law cutting down the hedge that doesn't belong to him and I would check this out legally.
Don't understand craftyone comments at all. Especially when Cava say's the job has been delayed for this year, not as if not been done, just a delay.

This was donkeys years ago. None of us can remember how she managed to find our gate once the hedge was cut back, but she found it very amusing anyway.

We had two businesses and three children, eldest aged 10 and totally blind but independent with a long cane (aka white stick). Too busy to notice that our hedge had grown out over the pavement a foot or so. No excuse, though. Got a call from the council asking us to cut back our hedge because someone had complained that they had seen a blind person walk into it. (Interestingly, a couple of blind people lived nearby.) Oh dear, we were mortified because of our being parents of a blind child we wpuld never want to create problems for others. Fair enough, we cut it back. Same day, our daughter got lost coming home because unlnown to us she used our overgrown hedge as orientation, to find our gate. So the blind person referred to was our own daughter.

What a rude man

123 Kitty
In what world does a good neighbour wait until you go out and come with his tools and cuts down your hedges then dump all over your path and driveway.
I actually didn’t know he was a ‘neighbour’ as I have never seen him before yesterday.
Please dont try to bring the blame for this outrageous behaviour to me

Could your hedge have been just a little worse than you thought. Cutting back a hedge is no easy job, it's hard to imagine anyone willingly doing it unless it was really necessary. Maybe he genuinely felt he was doing you a favour and being a good neighbour.

If he is like this already chances are he will be falling out with other neighbours. Take photographs and note the time and date of this incident - there maybe more. Perhaps let the police know just for the record and maybe have a word with citizens advice. What a horrible incident!

We live in a cul-de-sac past a certain point there is no path so you have to walk in the road, anyway the hedge I'm talking about was to tall us and a number of other neighbors could not see cars coming up the road because it blocked our view so my husband asked if they could cut it shorter, they smiled and made all the right noise's and two weeks later she came flying up the road and because she couldn't see anyone else coming out their drives she nearly hit my husband. She braked her face horrified needless to say that weekend the hedge was cut so everyone could see what was coming including her.

He was definitely in the wrong.

Unfortunately, we are surrounded by moronic idiots with no manners whatsoever.

And just dumping them on your driveway. It’s a No No.

Wow, I would have liked to have overheard the conversation you had Lucky girl! To move your plants, incredible!

We lived on a main rd.and at one stage the hedge was a bit straggly and hanging over the pavement by a few inches.The council sent a recorded delivery letter and asked us to cut it back a little.If we hadn't done it they would have sent a workman out to do it and they would have sent the bill to us.Thats the done way in Cheshire and I assume it's the same everywhere else.You definitely cannot cut someone's hedge without permission.

You are right Mollygo. I did let mine get a little bushy because I really thought there was loads of space, which of course there was... but clearly not enough for the person who complained. I don't know their situation and won't let it happen again - and did feel dreadful about it.

I think Grandmafrench‘s advice is spot on. ???? Well done Grandmafrench.

Notspaghetti I agree with both the points you made.
Since we’ve been walking in the local area instead of being able to go further afield we’ve noticed a lot of overflowing hedges or border bushes especially prickly ones like Chaenomeles, Berberus and Aquifolium and I’ve been collecting photos of those which really make it hard to stay on the pavement (although I think taking up pavement space is wrong however big or small the issue).
It seems people with these hedges often just don’t notice or think it doesn’t matter.
I still think the cutting without asking was wrong but my main concern for the OP would be if they make too big an issue of it, they would have to mention this if they ever want to sell.

Llamedos 'biba70, we never see him to ask as he is rarely here otherwise we would.' - why not drop a note in the letterbox to ask him to pop in?