Are my neighbours tree ‘surgeons’ allowed to jump the fence into my garden?

jimbog

SavingPennies_2 said:

Norman_Castle said:

1122abc said:

I saw four men in my garden. One with a very long lopper, all in black hoodies, joggers and one with a puffer jacket.

I think tree surgeons might be an exaggeration.

It's winter and they are working outdoors doing a physical and dirty job, what would they be expected to wear?

Definitely not tree surgeons (there was four of them?). Would not be dressed like that and using a long looper to cut a tree. Sound like cowboys 

Splatfoot

Goodness, what drama. Like other posters have said, maybe the neighbour didn't know they would need access to your garden. They did knock, you didn't answer. Mountain out of a molehill springs to mind. 

Slithery

SavingPennies_2 said:

Norman_Castle said:

1122abc said:

I saw four men in my garden. One with a very long lopper, all in black hoodies, joggers and one with a puffer jacket.

I think tree surgeons might be an exaggeration.

It's winter and they are working outdoors doing a physical and dirty job, what would they be expected to wear?

Hi-vis for a start...

MysteryMe

Tree surgeons would be wearing proper PPE not stuff out of Sports Direct or the equivalent.   

sheramber

I used tree surgeons who advertised, were well recommended  and had insurance cover.

Why would they not wear casual clothing? 

Why would they wear high viz when working in a garden?

And why would they not use long loppers to reach high branches?

They don't cut a tree trunk and shout 'timber' to remove a tree in a confined space.



One day I looked out to find two men  inspecting the grass in the front garden. 

I didn't panic, nor ring 999. I went out and asked them if I could help them.

It turned out they were water engineers looking for an underground leak somewhere between a  neighbouring   property  and   my garden.

980233

sheramber said:

I used tree surgeons who advertised, were well recommended  and had insurance cover.

Why would they not wear casual clothing? 

So they don't snag their 'causal' clothes on machinery and cutting equipent and puffer jackets and what they were wearing screams cowboys last seen on Rogue Traders. 

Why would they wear high viz when working in a garden?

And why would they not use long loppers to reach high branches?

They don't cut a tree trunk and shout 'timber' to remove a tree in a confined space.



One day I looked out to find two men  inspecting the grass in the front garden. 

I didn't panic, nor ring 999. I went out and asked them if I could help them.

It turned out they were water engineers looking for an underground leak somewhere between a  neighbouring   property  and   my garden.

There is a big difference from that scenario to hopping over the back fence/gate without permission.

Especially when the conversation went like this " I asked if they needed my permission to be in my garden but they said they don’t,"

brianposter

bouicca21 said:

Four strange men in hoodies in my garden would frighten me too.  I’d feel even more vulnerable if I was just out of the shower.

Neighbour should have had the common sense and common courtesy to  warn that work would be done to the tree even if they weren’t sure of date and time.  OP definitely needs to have a word - but needs to do it in a non confrontational way.  I’d try guilt tripping them with a ‘gosh I was really frightened to see a group of strange men in my garden ….’ But others may have better ideas about the approach to adopt

It is very difficult to achieve the appropriate tone in such a conversation. Far better simply to ignore the whole incident.

onylon

I would be really annoyed but too middle class and English to say much about it to the neighbors. 

Both our neighbors are lovely and have always asked before coming into our garden. I do have two large dogs though so an unfriendly neighbor might think twice about trespassing.

[Deleted User]

Slithery said:

[Deleted User] said:

I'd have just called 999

For what? What an overreaction.

A bunch of strange men in my garden. Not everyone is comfortable confronting people like that, especially if they have disabilities. Just because YOU don't feel threatened or feel that you can look after yourself, doesn't mean everyone else is in the same position.

They were entirely in the wrong, you don't just enter someone else's property without permission if they didn't answer the door. They should have taken it up with the neighbour, asking why they had not asked for permission before hand.

[Deleted User]

sheramber said:

I used tree surgeons who advertised, were well recommended  and had insurance cover.

Why would they not wear casual clothing? 

Why would they wear high viz when working in a garden?

Because if they really had insurance they would probably be required to wear high vis clothing. If they got injured, or injured someone else, and were not wearing proper PPE then insurance would likely not want to pay out.