Overgrown gardens

There are laws on what you can do when it comes to cutting down vegetation from a neighbour's land.

If a neighbour's tree, brambles, or hedge is causing issues on your side of the boundary, you are within your rights to remove anything that comes onto your side. By law, you should offer any clippings back to your neighbour. You should not trespass onto the garden of a neighbour to remove any of the foliage yourself. Before cutting down the vegetation, the council would recommend that you have a conversation with your neighbour about the issue.

Any cuttings that you do make will be your responsibility to dispose of unless your neighbour has asked for the cuttings back. Please be aware, if you decide to throw any cuttings back over your neighbours' fence, without permission, may be considered fly-tipping which is an illegal offence.

In some circumstances, it may be that your neighbour is struggling to maintain their garden and need some support. It is always beneficial to ask how you may be able to help. If you feel as though your neighbour is vulnerable and may require additional support, please use the link below:

• Support for residents

Please be advised that some trees have a preservation order. Therefore, it is important that this is checked before taking any action. Information on tree preservation orders can be found in the Tree Preservation Orders section on our website.