Cutting climbing plants on boundary walls

kahocking

Hi
I would be very grateful if anyone is able to give me any help. 
The end of our garden borders with the side wall of a neighbouring property.  A few years ago, when the neighbours converted the property into flats, they ran gas pipes around the side of the property.  In our garden, there is a trellis next to the wall and there are climbing plants.  Over the years the plants have grown and in some places become attached to the gas pipes. 
I was on holiday last week and whilst away, received messages from our neighbour to say she needed urgent access to our garden because she was worried that a gas pipe was leaking because it was no longer fully attached to the walls.  We said that we were happy for her to access the garden using a ladder if it was an emergency.  Otherwise for her to wait until we returned from holiday to discuss.
We have now returned to discover that she has had workmen climb across the trellis and cut the climbing plants from both the gas pipes and the trellis and caused utter devastation in our garden, making a complete mess and destroying the plants, covering my pond, despite there being no gas leak and therefore no emergency. 
I understand that she had the right to remove the plants from her wall and the pipes but surely she should have spoken to us first and given us the opportunity to secure the plants properly?  
I am a keen gardener and to return home and find this situation I find very upsetting.  How can someone do this to someone else's garden, when a little patience could have avoided this all together? 
Do I have any rights to do anything about this?
Many thanks
Kelly-ann.

Photos show before and after.

baser999

The workmen still have a duty of care regardless of whether this was an emergency or not. They should not have left this mess. What’s the neighbours take on it? Are they aware it’s been left in this state? You really need to take this up with them - the workmen were employed by them and as such are their responsibility

kahocking

I'm not sure exactly why the workmen were there but the owner was there with them.  Whatever they were doing, I think the workmen alerted the owner to the fact that the gas pipes looked a bit precarious and she just decided there and then to chop all of the plants down.  

kahocking

Sorry I should have also said that they have offered to clear the mess away but my point is that I don't think they should have chopped the plants down in the first place without discussing it with me first.

Bendy_House

The plants shown in the first pic of your impressive garden appear to be climbing waaaay beyond the height of the trellis that's been exposed in the second pic?

What plants are these, and how did they manage to get so high - what was supporting them?

Isn't there an access gap between your trellis and the neighbour's house wall, as shown in the second pic?

BUFF

Imo, anything on their side of the fence they can cut. They should not have cut anything on your side of the fence, however, which would have left greenery as high as the fence/trellis.
(clematis?)

Bendy_House

I find it hard to tell from the pics. The greenery seems to have been going a lot higher than your trellis?

In essence, you shouldn't be allowing any planting to be growing up a neighbour's wall or fence, or gas pipe.

I 'suspect' the workers/ neighbour were well within their right to remove anything on or over or on their property.

Should they have stripped back the climbers growing on YOUR trellis? No. But perhaps that was unavoidable to gain access to the pipes? And, if they suspected there was a gas leak, and there was no other easy way to check from where, then what were they expected to do?

Going forward, I would decide just how high you want your green screening, and build supporting trellis to that height for it.

It's a toughie if there isn't an access gap between your properties, but please bear in mind you shouldn't allow growth up their wall or property.

Assuming the situation is as I think above, I'd be inclined to accept the situation and plan for new growth to be contained fully on your side.

DanDare999

kahocking said:

Sorry I should have also said that they have offered to clear the mess away but my point is that I don't think they should have chopped the plants down in the first place without discussing it with me first.

Why would they need to discuss the removal from their wall with you?

TELLIT01

If there was genuine cause to believe there was a potential gas leak, getting to the pipe was far more important than worrying about damaging plants and trellis.  How would the OP have felt had there been an explosion and the excuse given was they couldn't get hold of the property owner to ask permission to cut back their plants?

twopenny

Whatever the reason the plants shouldn't have been above your trellis.

The plants may have been cut so low in order to get ladders in there for inspection, we'll never know. This happened to me when I had to have a ridge tile fixed. I had to cut a large shrub down to almost ground level to give safe access for ladders.

It's obviously a vigorous plant so shouldn't take long to cover the trellis again and maintain it so that it remains within your boundary.

I'd not trust them to clear but do that myself and ask them to dispose of the debris.

Eldi_Dos

I understand that she had the right to remove the plants from her wall and the pipes but surely she should have spoken to us first and given us the opportunity to secure the plants properly?  
I am a keen gardener and to return home and find this situation I find very upsetting.  How can someone do this to someone else's garden, when a little patience could have avoided this all together? 
Do I have any rights to do anything about this?
Many thanks
Kelly-ann.

I think there is a bit of both sides being in the wrong here, yourself for letting plants get to stage where it was causing a nuisance and possible danger to gas pipes and neighbour for doing remedial work when you were not there to clear debris straight away.
I am led to belief the normal practise is to cut back over growing plants and return material to side of boundary plants came from, but it would have been nice if you had been there to tidy up as need be.

Best to keep plants within your own boundaries to save any repeat.

The bit about possible gas leak sounds like a red herring as if there is a gas leak suspected you do not get some workers in but call the gas emergency line who deal with it.