Fruit bushes removed and damaged by fencers - what to do?

snaffs

My next door neighbours had a new fence put up today between our properties, they had warned me in advance that this was being done, and I asked them to please ask the fencers to be careful of my fruit bushes which were planted in our adjoining border. I left my neighbour a key to the gate in case the fencers needed access.

I came home this evening to find the following:

• My gooseberry and tayberry have been completely dug up and removed, as these were placed where the concrete panels were placed, and they have not left me the plants :mad:
• One of the two branches on a small apple tree has been snapped off
• Several raspberries have been removed from an area where there was not a concrete post placed, and several more raspberries have been bent and broken so I have had to remove them - they had even left them propped up by a brick to make it look like they were ok
• They have placed piles of soil in other places in my garden, some of which has been dumped over gravelled areas
• There are small bits of broken fence all over my lawn

I don't really want to cause a fuss with my next door neighbour as they are very good neighbours, however I am very angry with the fencing company for the state they have left my garden in, particuarly as these bushes would have been fruiting this year and I have now lost about a third of my fruit bushes.

Has anybody else encountered anything similar in the past, and if so what did you do?

Many thanks

Snaffs

globalds

I would take plenty of photographs of the damage.

Do you have any recent photo's of you garden before the [STRIKE]damage[/STRIKE] work was done ?

These may be useful in the future.

snaffs

Good idea thanks - have just been out and taken some

Think I'll be on the phone to the fencing company in the morning :mad:

Errata

they are very good neighbours

Good neighbours will be extremely upset that their workmen have caused so much damage, and offer to make amends and put things right.
Bad neighbours won't be bothered.

snaffs

Errata wrote: »

Good neighbours will be extremely upset that their workmen have caused so much damage, and offer to make amends and put things right.
Bad neighbours won't be bothered.

The neighbours have already offered, bless them, but it's the fencing company I'm annoyed with. Have also just noticed that they've trampled one of my potato plants while walking over to the other side of my garden to dump some soil!

Kay_Peel

That is dreadful.

I bet that the builders thought that the tayberries, raspberries etc were brambles and that they were doing you a favour!

The Apple tree won't suffer if you tidy up the damage. Cut it back to three leaves and give it a good watering.


However. The labourers deliberately 'propped up' some of their destruction to make it look right. That tells me that they knew that they had been negligent and caused damage. I would mention this to your neighbour. I would even invite him/her round to have a look for themselves. If your neighbour has any decency then they will be very upset to hear about the damage. He or she may not have paid them yet and might be prepared to hold back at least fifty quid to replace your fruit trees.

If he or she has paid them already then get the firm's details from your neighbour. Write to them, asking for restitution in the sum of £50. Tell them that you will have no hesitation in pursuing the matter in a small claims court and will produce photographic evidence.

I don't know how much a few rapsberry canes, goosberry bush and small apple 'twig' (only two limbs?) will cost you - I've just said £50 off the top of my head.

I'm sorry to hear your story. Good luck!

EmptyPockets

Oh snaffs, I'm so sorry to hear this, I'd be absolutely jumping and seething if it happened to us :mad:

I agree with everything said by Kay, and it would be really good if you have some photos of the garden before the fencers trampled their way in.

But don't let it drop, it is not fair and the company should DEFINITELY pay for the damage they caused.

smarttart

Hi Snaffs,
We had a similar thing happen in our garden, my neighbours fencers trampled all over the flower border, my OH was livid and mentioned it to our neighbour who was absolutely horrified and refused to pay the fencer and the £50 she was going to pay him she gave to us in gardening vouchers instead. As it turned out they hadn't actually damaged that much it all and it started growing again so I insisted that my neighbour take the vouchers back, she refused so the outcome was that we split the vouchers between us.

But when I was living in my flat we were having work done on the drains and the guys doing the work removed all the plants from a large section of one of my borders and I couldn't find them anywhere.
I rang the owner of the company up and he came round to have a look and told me that the builders had covered all the flowers over with soil to protect them and that they would grow again later in the year :T
I had planted a potentillia there that had grown to around about 2 feet tall and 2 feet wide and the border was as flat as a pancake :rotfl:
Well after a lot of arguing with him he finally knocked £30 off my bill which I suppose was better than nothing but not compared to all the hard work and time I had spent in the garden.
I hope you get things sorted 'cos I feel for you as I know how heart breaking it is.