Lawyers have explained what happens if your neighbour’s wet leaves fall into your garden as we move into Autumn. The season for wet leaves is fast approaching as the weather gets gradually cooler and wetter throughout the UK. After a record year of heatwaves across the UK this summer, much of the country has experienced cooler temperatures paired with rain and cloudy skies over the last couple of weeks.
Autumn is when many trees, including the ones on your neighbour’s property, will lose their leaves. During wet weather, they pose a threat as they can make the ground slippery, which can potentially lead to injury. This is especially true when temperatures get much lower, as wet leaves can freeze, making them even more slippery. So, if your neighbour’s leaves fall into your garden and become wet during autumn and winter weather, what can you do?
The lawyers at Stephenson’s have outlined their advice for when your neighbour’s leaves fall in your garden and who is responsible for cleaning them up. Unfortunately, that is your job. Alysia Leigh, who works in the firm’s disputes team, explains your rights.
While you could approach your neighbour and ask them to clear the leaves, this isn’t advised by Alysia, who says leaves falling into your garden around this time of the year is inevitable.
Meanwhile, the Royal Horticultural Society, the tree’s owner, is not obliged to come and clean up fallen leaves. The exception is when leaves cause damage, such as blocking drains.
Alysia says: “It is true that not everyone wants fallen leaves in their garden. They can be messy, slippery and just plain annoying but in reality, the easiest thing to do would be to just pick them up and put them in the bin. Trespass or not, it really is just a leaf.”
There are ways to help prevent leaves from falling into your garden. If a neighbour’s tree overhangs into your property, then you can cut back the branches to the boundary between your gardens. However, you need to make sure you know exactly where the legal boundary is.
While you could try to stop it with more fencing, there are strict limits as to how high you can build a barrier between your garden and your neighbour’s garden.