help - conifer next door

[larco]

Hi,

The property rent owner next door has a conifer which he has not mantained in the four years he has owned the house (he rents it out).
The conifer is at the boundary and it is now starting to cause problems with light and i can't grow anything near the border because of the roots.

I have ahad a look at my local council's website and they want 320 quid
from me if I were to file a complaint. I don't want to pay that sort of money. Also their info refers to high edges and not high trees.

I have written to the owner but so far he has not done anything.

Is there any other way I could get this sorted without having to pay 320 quid for a complaint?

Many thanks

 

[Whitespirit66]

Dig hole near roots, and pour in a couple of gallons of diesel.

 

[joe-90]

Set fire to it and blame it on yobs.

 

[Bahco]

HERE is good reading for neighbour disputes etc.

 

[snico]

Dig the roots out that are on your side of the fence. You can cut away anything that grows on your side.

 

[Blasphemous]

Get a quote to have it felled (I was quoted £150 for one about a year ago). Rewrite to/phone the owner offering to pay to have it felled. Cheaper than involving your local lacklustre council!

 

[heatingman]

Dont bother paying the council to get involved, they will write to them and if they trim 12" off it the council will accept that as job done and if your still not happy it starts at the begining with you parting with more money.
Cut it all back level with your boundry and the weight will cause it to lean back into there garden, keep trimming and eventually they will have to deal with it.

 

[ABCwarrior]

Copper nails, lots of them.....

 

[Alarm]

Fire........................

 

[nickso]

Dig hole near roots, and pour in a couple of gallons of diesel.

That means he still can't grow anything on the contaminated soil.

Copper nails work but can be seen. Far better to slowly poison it by cutting back the roots as suggested and slowly inject the diesel into the exposed roots if it doesn't fall over first

 

[Djnikon]

Used stuff a few years ago on Ivy that was growing across my flat from the downstairs. Think it was called Sodium Tetrasulphide (or ate) and as suggested it was injected in to one of the main stems of the plant.
I only expected it to kill some of it but as it turned out the stuff was pretty vicious and a few weeks later... no ivy... job done

But more sensible suggestions have been made about cutting back root systems that encroach your boundary and eventually it will die or, as stated, fall over.

 

[larco]

ta to all for the replies.

I will

a) cut the tree back to boundary (and possibly further

b) consider cutting the top off (I can access the tree easily by standing on the fence).

 

[Alarm]

Pretty sure cutting the top off leaves you open to some law (Trespass and vandalism ), unless it is overhanging.

 

[Djnikon]

Yeah, Alarm is right. Don't cut anything that isn't on your side of the boundary. You open yourself up to all sorts otherwise.

 

[cantaloup63]

If memory serves me right, you have a legal obligation to offer any cuttings to the owner of the tree since, although you have removed them from your territory, they remain their property. Thus, if you know where the landlord actually lives, you may wish to deposit them there