"Robbie" wrote in message
om...
Wonder if anyone can help me here.

My next door neighbour moved in last year after the previous
neighbour
was evicted for various tenancy breaches. Just before the previous
neighbour left, they planted what I can only imagine to be a
leylandi
shrub. That was last July, and now the shrub / tree is over 8 foot
tall. Whilst the neighbour is fine, he doesn't want to cut the shrub
(he reckons it looks spectacular!) and it looks like by the end of
this summer it will be dwarfing our 4 foot fence by some
considerable
height!

Apart from looking unsightly, the actual shrub / tree (what can you
call it!) is no real problem BUT it's right next to where one of my
washing lines are so any strong winds and the sheets get a good
battering! I've stopped putting the washing there before anyone
asks,
but the branches are well and truly growing into my garden. My
question is: without chopping the stem of his shrub, would it be
illegal for me to chop the branches that are growing into my garden?
For a start he wouldn't even notice I'd done this but I wonder if
anything over my fence is "my property" And can anyone guess how
tall
this monster is going to grow (and can anyone guess what it might
be?). Fortunately, as it grows taller the actual middle part is
thickening so it's losing it's ability to reach my second washing
line... I do worry about my fence though, will the branches at the
bottom end (ie up to 4 foot) start to push tightly against the
fence?

I'd like to actually cut the thing in half but that's a no-go

As I say, it's no real problem, apart from it needs a good cutting
but
what about the bits that are now working their way into my garden?

My understanding is that any branches overhanging into your garden may
be shortened with impunity right up to the fence. But you have to
offer the pruned material to the neighbour, as they are his property.

It is said that one way of dealing with the problem, if one can reach
the stem surreptitiously, is to drill a half inch hole into it to a
depth of about an inch. Pack the hole with sodium chlorate and cover
the wound, disguising its presence as best one can. This is, of
course, quite illegal and should not be attempted, but it is
nevertheless said to do the trick.

Franz