Excessive Hedge Strimming - Nuisance neighbour

AyJaydee

How do I stop a neighbour being a nuisance with his excessive hedge strimming?
I have known my fiancee for 6 years. Last year I moved into her home, we are to be married shortly and plan to continue living there.
Her property is one of many on her road that lies ajacient to one of the many well used footpaths that criss-cross this estate of privately owned properties.
On the other side of this path is a high hedge border about 200ft long, on the other side of which lies a cul-du-sac, serving several houses.
The owner of the end house in this cul-du-sac is frequently out strimming, not just the the hedge around his own house, but also the length of this hedge opposite his neighbours, and us!
In the years my fiancee has been there, he has been doing this almost every day, certainly several times a week, during the early weekday evenings and Saturday and Sunday mornings or afternoons. This goes on for about an hour at a time.
Firstly the two-stroke petrol strimmer comes out, he walks up and down eyeing up for any leaf out of place whilst revving the engine as a moded rider would, He makes small cuts here and there to this immaculate hedge. And not just the side facing his home, but also the side facing us on the footpath. When he is done, then the petrol driven leaf blower comes out and a similar pattern repeats. Even during the last winter we got no respite, for the leaf blower was out numerous times and he also did a cut at least once. I am not talking about an ornamental topiary here, this is just a plain box hedge.
We cannot relax and enjoy our garden or home for the loud and irritating noise nearby, also the overwhelming smell of two-stroke oil. Even sitting indoors is unpleasant, as we head into summer, closing the patio door is unbearable. This is causing us a lot of stress.
Two years ago, my fiancee spoke to the local Council. Their reply was to keep a diary but that they could do nothing. Well what is the point in keeping a diary then?
We have not spoken to this person, I am not an assertive person, quite timid really. I also feel it would be futile to ask something of someone when he does not have to comply, resulting in a humiliating step-down for me. My fiancee is also afraid that a formal complaint to the Council will stay on record and may appear later in a conveyance search as a neighbour dispute. One of our immediate neighbours is friends with this person, so we cannot get their support. There does not seem to be a strong sense of neighbourly community here.
We believe that the Council never adopted this path from the developers and we wonder if this man is trying to make a claim for the strip of land. Also, what we have heard from others leads us to suspect that he may be feeding an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
We don't want to turn to a Solicitor, because of the expense. Can you please help us?

maninthestreet

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/homeandcommunity/whereyoulive/noisenuisanceandlitter/dg_10029682

ic

AyJaydee wrote: »

We have not spoken to this person, I am not an assertive person, quite timid really. We don't want to turn to a Solicitor, because of the expense. Can you please help us?

You want somebody from the forum to go round and talk to him?

Firstly I think the guy should be applauded for keeping your neighbourhood prim and proper. Too many people complain and expect that the council should do everything, but at the same time expect their tax to remain low.

Reality is, either you cower indoors listening to the noise, or you go and have a word and thank him for the effort but ask him to limit the frequency a bit. Perhaps you should send him an anonymous note and then avoid all future eye contact (after all it wasn't you that sent the note)...

Talking about noise abatement orders and solicitors is ridiculous when you haven't even just had a word with him.

cattie

Aren't strimmers a fact of life in spring and summer? I often hear neighbours out in there gardens using stimmers, hedgcutters, lawmowers, but don't find it intrusive at all. Same in winter, a leaf shredder might start up now and again, but if noise is contained to daytime and my nights are undisturbed then it's no real bother to me.

I'd much prefer this to living next door or close to the type of people who do nothing to their garden other than dump unwanted items or rubbish out there, or worse, keep a poor dog chained up outside for most of the time, barking it's head off.

Like ic, I think you should be happy to have a neighbour who likes to look after the place and keep it looking nice and tidy.

And why do you have to look for an ulterior motive, wondering if he is trying to take over some land? Are you a suspicious type? Some people just do things to keep things looking good because they don't want them to get out of control and perhaps he doesn't want to risk it becoming a dumping ground for unscrupulous flytippers.

Biggles

AyJaydee wrote: »

On the other side of this path is a high hedge border about 200ft long, on the other side of which lies a cul-du-sac, serving several houses.

The owner of the end house in this cul-du-sac is frequently out strimming, not just the the hedge around his own house, but also the length of this hedge opposite his neighbours, and us!
In the years my fiancee has been there, he has been doing this almost every day, certainly several times a week, during the early weekday evenings and Saturday and Sunday mornings or afternoons. This goes on for about an hour at a time.

So it's just two or three, maybe four hours a week in the summer, then? And he's not even next door? You need to get a grip, there's worse things in life.

jimbo_the_jetset

We all have neighbours who make a bit too much noise now and again, but it is a fact of life. If you really want peace then move out into the sticks and don't live on an estate.

pinkteapot

Wish our neighbours would trim their hedges.

maninthestreet

My neighbour can often be seem trimming her bush in the garden.

C_Mababejive

How long do these individual strimmage events take? Half an hour or so? Perhaps you have become over sensitised? It happens.

Truth is that in this overcrowded septic isle of ours we have to live like battery hens and therefore our neighbours do occasionally peck us.

Compared to some of the scum that i have witnessed,this guy is a Saint. Buy some ear plugs.

whitewing

Perhaps if there is nothing you can do that he may comply with etc, you can work on some techniques to allow it to not bother you so much.

C_Mababejive

White noise helps...can you install a fountain/water feature?