A homeowner has expressed his frustration after his neighbours refused to cut down a tree in their garden - even though it's breaking part of his property. The man explained that the large tree is positioned in the corner of his neighbour's garden, and as it continues to grow, its roots have begun to knock down the wall that separates the two outdoor spaces.
Initially, the man spoke to one of his neighbours, named David, who said he would look into cutting down the tree as he agreed it was causing structural damage, but David's wife Jane is refusing to get rid of the plant - and has forced her husband to reconsider his support for removing the tree.
In a post on Reddit, the man fumed: "There is a tree in the corner of my neighbours' (who we'll call David and Jane) garden that is very large and tall (30ft or above), and its roots have been knocking down the wall that separates the two gardens and the wall that faces the pavement.
"My wife and I have talked to the two of them about the issue and David agreed that the tree should be cut down, because not only is it destroying the wall we’ve noticed that it's in danger of falling.
"Jane, however, said that she didn't want it cut down because it's expensive and she likes the tree where it is, and David said that he stood by his wife's decision.
"We of course couldn't do anything more as the tree is on their property."
The man then said he's had issues with Jane in the past, and while he can understand her reservations about the cost of having the tree cut down, he believes it could pose a safety risk in the future.
He added: "Jane is, to be completely honest, rather frustrating. If my wife is splitting logs, Jane will often complain about the noise, when her husband does the exact same thing.
"And there was a time when my daughter was sitting against the wall of their house - still in our garden - and Jane stuck her head around the corner and told her to 'get off my property'.
"I was talking about the situation with my friend and she said that I was being too harsh on Jane and that it is expensive to get a tree that size cut down.
"I'm well aware of the prices - when I first moved into the house there were 3 huge trees in a garden that is not nearly large enough for them and got all of them cut down and it cost me over 5 grand.
How would you react if your neighbour did this? Tell us in the comments...
"But it's not like they're short of money and not only is that tree damaging both of our properties, it is actually dangerous - during storm Eunice this year, it very nearly fell."
Commenters on the post urged the man to get in touch with his local council about the tree, as they may be able to help if it poses a risk of falling.
One person said: "See if there are any local ordinances around nuisance trees. If it's in danger of falling you might be able to get the city to require them to take it down."
While another added: "Maybe you can call the city so they come to check and evaluate the situation whatever they decide is out of your neighbours' hands."
According to problemneighbours.co.uk, you should contact your local council's Environmental Health Office if a neighbour refuses to take action on a tree that is at risk of falling, as they are able to serve notice telling the landowners to make the tree safe in whatever way possible.
The website states: "The owner is not under any legal duty to take action, but will be liable if a tree they knew to be damaged caused damage to property or injury to a person.
"As prevention is often better than waiting for damage or injury to occur, however, the Environmental Health Office may be able to invoke the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 if the tree poses an immediate risk to property or people.
"This allows them to serve notice on the land owner to make the tree safe. If they fail to do so, the Environmental Health Office may undertake this work themselves. The landowner would then usually be charged for any gardening required."
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