Upkeep of property. Who's Responsible?

portlandboy

Last summer new people moved into the house that backs on to ours, garden to garden. They had a 2mtr high fence constructed all around their garden, but left about a foot of their land outside of their fence. It needs to be weeded, which we have done until now.
Today, while I was doing some DIY in our garden, the neighbour shouted through the fence, firstly asking whether I was touching their fence but then climbed up with her phone ready to take pictures and started shouting about the strip of land being hers and that if I touched it or the fence it would be criminal damage!
I explained that we had done no damage and asked her how she intended to look after the area, weeding etc. She pointed out that she can't get over to look after the strip and says she has no obligation to stop the weeds encroaching onto our garden and we mustn't touch them!
So, the question really is, can we charge her for our time and expense (weedkiller etc) or can we force her to look after it?
Ultimately, I'd prefer to look after it and not have her complaining about us trespassing on this small strip of land or touching her fence.
This is like the Gazza Strip all over again!

swingaloo

How ridiculous is your neighbour! But no you have zero chance of them paying you for your time etc.  Simple answer would be to erect a fence of your own on your boundary.

onwards&upwards

Bonkers, but I agree, put up your own fence and let her precious weeds thrive in the gap. 

Less said about Gazza and stripping the better.  

kazwookie

Get some weed killer and get on with it!!

Emmia

I'd fence off my own garden at the boundary, and leave the weedy strip. I'm a bit mystified as to why they left a strip of land that is theirs only accessible to you, their neighbours?

Silvertabby

The only reason I can think of is that your new neighbours left this strip of land to stand on when they paint the back of their fence.
However, this would still mean having to trample over your garden in order to get to 'their' land.

As others have said, put your own (solid) fence up, preferably with an underground weed barrier, and let these idiots get on with it.