https://news.yahoo.com/man-89-cut-neighbours-hedges-as-they-hadnt-bothered-then-thanks-himself-in-newspaper-080908092.html
Keith Haines, 89, cut back his neighbours' hedges in Newbury, Berkshire, then 'thanked himself' via a letter in the local newspaper.
Archive: https://archive.ph/Nv2Ze
She said: "It’s an absolute mess. He’s gone back to the original fence. I have been in my house for 23 years and I have never ever seen the original fence. He’s not just cut it, he’s absolutely hacked it."
So she hasn't maintained the hedge for 23 years, and is complaining that someone tidied it up?
But she also did not ask him to trim it - imagine if somebody ended up doing your yard without your permission.
Honestly, the dude did a lot more good for the community and she should have been held accountable by the HoA to not let her hedge go onto the sidewalk, but I can see how she would be annoyed.
I understand why she's annoyed, but he didn't do her yard, he cleared the street. Everything he cut was overhanging the pavement, restricting access for the public.
Council advice is that you can cut down vegetation from your neighbour's overgrown gardens - but only up to the boundary point between the properties.
Literally the next line:
It is advised to try to talk with your neighbour first to discuss any issues and try to find a suitable resolution before resorting to cutting back vegetation.
Everyone seems to be siding with the old man, but I'd like to see a before picture before I congratulate the man standing in front of the most poorly trimmed shrubbery I've ever seen.
Except per the article it seems to have grown quite a bit beyond that lady's property. Here, the city will send you a couple notices, then do it themselves and send you a bill.
So the right thing to do would be to notify the proper authority and have them trim it as appropriate and send her the bill, which would incentivize her to keep it up in the future
Honestly, if it’s over growing the sidewalks or whatever, then you could call Code Enforcement and have it all cut back. The sidewalk isn’t hers, it’s everybody’s.
Do they even have HoAs in countries other than the US? I always thought that was another one of our uniquely American insanities.
Just like everything that's shit in America, HOAs were created as another tool for white supremacy.
The lady that complained had a hedge growing at the edge of her property, along the property line. It was overgrown and growing into the street. It was growing into the street for at least 23 years, going by what the article says. The man got fed up and cut the street facing side himself, and now the lady is complaining.
If you're talking about her bush getting trimmed - giggity :D
Love me some British shrub politics. The only socially respectable response for someone invading your property is a bit of tutting whenever they're nearby.
Also the "public right-of-way" in this country is incredible.
Also the "public right-of-way" in this country is incredible.
I wish we had that in Canada. We weren't too badly off with plenty of Crown land and a few "right of access" to Crown lands regulations, but that is rapidly changing, at least in Saskatchewan.
Trespass laws are being changed to make it more difficult to exercise Treaty rights. Crown lands are being sold off. Some Crown lands are being sold in patterns that leave other Crown lands inaccessible.
That sounds like a local newspaper headline about me but 40 years from now. Does it list the winning lottery numbers anywhere?
TIL fly-tipping is another word for littering and I am very happy about that! The article is funny though - hero of the neighborhood!