Hedge invading public footpath

Herbalus

The usual queries on overgrowing hedges are whether you can cut neighbour's hedges/tree branches off at the boundary into your own garden (answer: yes, but the branches still belong to your neighbour).

Down the road there is a house who have a massive hedge running along the pavement at the front of their garden, overspilling over the front of the property boundary line and over the pavement. There is a small brick wall (about 1 foot high) to the front garden to mark the property boundary with the pavement next to the road, and the hedge is planted just behind the brick wall, growing up and outwards.

The pavement is 1 meter wide and is almost entirely covered by the expanding foliage from the hedge. There is just about room to pass without stepping into the road, but no room if somebody is coming the other way and prams would definitely struggle.

Is this a council issue? I would cut it myself out of irritation but don't have the tools and it'd take ages manually.

I'm tempted to put a note through the door asking them to cut it, but not sure how well that would be taken.

G_M

Local council website will have facility for reporting this. My council are pretty good and collect fly-tipped goods, cut hedges etc within a week-10 days of being reported.


They might contact the house-owner but that's up to them.

EachPenny

Herbalus wrote: »

Is this a council issue? I would cut it myself out of irritation but don't have the tools and it'd take ages manually.

Yes, it is a council issue, and I wouldn't do anything myself.

As G_M says, check the council website for a highway defect 'report' link. But to be clear, in the thread title you call it a "public footpath" but in the text it sounds like a footway adjacent to a road.

These will usually be dealt with by two completely different departments - if you report it as a "footpath" it will get lost in the Rights of Way Officer's in-tray. You need to make sure it is reported as an issue with a "footway" or as a road.

If there is a free-text box to add comments on the report, make sure you point out the danger to pedestrians and that people pushing prams and disabled people in wheelchairs can only pass by going out into the road. The bit in bold should flag the problem up as a priority.

If the Council claim there is nothing they can do then gently point them to Section 154 of the Highways Act 1980.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/66/section/154

Strictly speaking they have to serve notice on the landowner requiring them to do the trimming themselves within 14 days, after which the council can do it in default. But in practice most councils will just save themselves some hassle and do the trimming (even though they may lack the legal power to do so :silenced:).

bouicca21

I once had a tree in the front garden that had a branch hanging over the wall by all of 6 inches. Had anyone told me it was a nuisance I'd have cut it back. Instead they complained to the council and I received a formal instruction to cut it back.

Much better to ask for the offending hedge to be cut. Reporting to the council is a last resort.

Herbalus

bouicca21 wrote: »

I once had a tree in the front garden that had a branch hanging over the wall by all of 6 inches. Had anyone told me it was a nuisance I'd have cut it back. Instead they complained to the council and I received a formal instruction to cut it back.

Much better to ask for the offending hedge to be cut. Reporting to the council is a last resort.

I would agree with this, but there can be no possible way I can think of that this person doesn’t know the hedge is ridiculous.

I don’t know who lives there. They’re certainly not house proud. Could be rented to somebody who doesn’t care, or students who don’t know what to do about it #notmyproblem.

pimento

bouicca21 wrote: »

I once had a tree in the front garden that had a branch hanging over the wall by all of 6 inches. Had anyone told me it was a nuisance I'd have cut it back. Instead they complained to the council and I received a formal instruction to cut it back.

Much better to ask for the offending hedge to be cut. Reporting to the council is a last resort.

I had a tree in my front garden pruned -without reference to me - by the council.
It was slightly in front of a road sign but if they'd said, I'd have got my ladder and hacksaw out.

bouicca21

Hacksaws? Maybe I should have said twig - I used secateurs!

Rodders53

Our Parish Council newsletter regularly mentions this need to keep hedges from over-growing paths... Never seen any evidence of them enforcing or cutting back themselves, though.

They do organise volunteers to clear the Public Footpaths from time to time.

A polite note through the door, pointing out the problem may or may not be taken well? But if the householder hasn't done anything some time later (4 weeks?) then you can contact your Council with a clear conscience.

xylophone

Do you have a "Fix my Street" facility?

https://www.fixmystreet.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI54re-rzl3gIVjr_tCh0kGA7OEAAYASAAEgIbofD_BwE

adonis

xylophone wrote: »

Do you have a "Fix my Street" facility?

https://www.fixmystreet.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI54re-rzl3gIVjr_tCh0kGA7OEAAYASAAEgIbofD_BwE

Used that myself lots of times for street lights out, pot holes and flytipping.


Easy to use but I would go anonymous if you are complaining about a specific address.

lincroft1710

pimento wrote: »

I had a tree in my front garden pruned -without reference to me - by the council.
It was slightly in front of a road sign but if they'd said, I'd have got my ladder and hacksaw out.

Hacksaw wouldn't be much good unless you were intending to prune the road sign. A bow saw would be much more useful for cutting the branch.