Neighbor problems - Scotland

[Parsnip]

Hey gents, just had a very angry OH on the phone after getting in from work and finding one of our hedges hacked down.

I am away with work until next week, but I am fking raging having seen the photos - it looks horrendous.

What's the best way forward? I don't know for sure which neighbor did it, but I could hazard a guess.

Tresspass? Criminal damage? Should I be on the phone to the cops or is it a council job?

Cheers

[SteveScooby]

Could you perhaps try speaking to them?

[RichB]

How tall was it?

[Parsnip]

I am on an Oil rig off the coast of Angola - might be difficult popping round for a word.

The OH is home alone - which in my eyes makes it all the worse that someone has let themselves into our garden.

[herewego]

You make your partner sound like a child. Cutting down someone else's hedge is criminal damage if on your side of the boundary. The police should deal with it if s/he asks them to attend.

[Oakey]

Replace it with conifers, that'll fking teach them

[Mr GrimNasty]

Parsnip said:

Hey gents, just had a very angry OH on the phone after getting in from work and finding one of our hedges hacked down.

I am away with work until next week, but I am fking raging having seen the photos - it looks horrendous.

What's the best way forward? I don't know for sure which neighbor did it, but I could hazard a guess.

Tresspass? Criminal damage? Should I be on the phone to the cops or is it a council job?

Cheers

If your hedge contained on your land was hacked (as opposed to overhang), yes, report to police as criminal damage.
You may have to be persistent that it is not 'a civil matter'.
Under no circumstances interact with the neighbour in any way, they will turn it around on you and report you to the police for fear of violence/harassment etc.

[McWigglebum4th]

Wait 6 weeks

vote YES

Buy their house for a fiver

[Mr GrimNasty]

I have to admit when I read the title, I was expecting some Englishophobic joke!

[Vaud]

Parsnip said:

I am on an Oil rig off the coast of Angola - might be difficult popping round for a word.

The OH is home alone - which in my eyes makes it all the worse that someone has let themselves into our garden.

Do you keep emailing me to offer to buy my car?

Only jesting... police if it was clearly your hedge but I would urge a neighbourly chat first by your other half. Boundary disputes can be vague at times.

[ikarl]

Doesn't sound like a boundary dispute if they let themselves into the op's garden......sounds like someone's taking the proverbial. Get the Police involved but not sure what the expected outcome would be..?!

Like someone else said, replace with conifers!

[JMGS4]

Neighbour.... tch tch we're not yet the 51st US state you know!!!!!

[3Dee]

What history do you have with the (suspected) neighbour?

[TooMany2cvs]

Mr GrimNasty said:

I have to admit when I read the title, I was expecting some Englishophobic joke!

Y'mean the OP isn't Alex Salmond?

OP - with that out the way, is this a shared boundary? If so, are you SURE it's your hedge? Have they even finished the job yet...?

[RichB]

JMGS4 said:

Neighbour.... tch tch we're not yet the 51st US state you know!!!!!

Was waiting for someone to point that out.

p.s. I agree, the gradual creep of Americanisation is irritating. Wouldn't be so bad if it was a gradual creep from somewhere with some culture but America for heaven's sake!

[matchmaker]

No such offence as malicious damage in Scotland. Most likely to be vandalism - s.52 of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995; formerly s.78 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980.

[mikeveal]

Yes report to police.
I have to add a reality check though, whilst I know you suspect one of your neighbours, can I ask what you can actually prove?

[anonymous-user]

There must, I would have thought, be a back story to this incident (eg neighbour asserts, rightly or wrongly, that hedge is on his/her land or that it creates some sort of nuisance), but at present we aren't being told what it is.

[herewego]

Yes, could be a 10 metre hedge now cut down to the regulation 2 metres.

[anonymous-user]

The High Hedges (Scotland) Act 2013 is not yet in force, as far as I know (EDIT: Yes it is, since 1 April 2014 - serves me right for looking at useless government websites]. In any event it provides for serving of a notice by the local authority in respect of a high hedge, not a dawn raid by a neighbour.

If a high hedge notice is served and not complied with, then the local authority can take enforcement action (ie it can stomp in and reduce the height of a hedge).

Possibilities:

1. Something like that happened here, and the OP's OH is giving an over dramatised account.

2. Nothing like that happened here, and some neighbour has adopted a self help policy based on some beef (righteous or otherwise) about the hedge.

3. Random neighbour craziness/space aliens/none of the above.

In other words, OP, give us the facts, please!

Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 6th August 13:42