What can I do about the overgrowing trees or brambles in my or a neighbours garden?

We understand it can be frustrating when you have to deal with overgrown trees or brambles in your garden. It’s important you know what you can and can’t do, and what we can get involved in.

Overgrowing brambles in your garden

It can take a lot of effort to get rid of brambles. If you spray them, you will just end up with a dead thorny mess to deal with, and dead thorns carry a greater risk of giving an infection.

The best way to deal with brambles is to cut them low and dig out the roots. A sharpened spade is the best tool for cutting the roots. If you are struggling to remove the roots because they are too woody, cut low and apply plenty of salt to the fresh cuts within 24 hours of cutting. If you don’t apply the salt within 24 hours the brambles will grow back.

Cutting back trees that are overgrowing either in or onto your garden

Before you cut any trees back you must check for any nesting birds first.

If a neighbour's tree or hedge is growing over into your garden, you can’t make your neighbour cut it back. However, you do have the right to remove overgrowing branches yourself, but only back to the common boundary which will likely be the fence or hedge between your homes. You must offer any of the cut branches back to your neighbour, but you can’t just put them on their garden or their property without permission.

It’s always worth having a chat with your neighbour first to see if you can come to an agreement or resolution that works for you both. It might be that your neighbour doesn’t have the equipment or ability to cut the trees or hedges themselves.

The tree is blocking my light

You cannot force your neighbour to cut down or cut back their tree just because it blocks your light. As long as the tree is safe and is not causing damage, your neighbour is entitled to grow the tree. If you wish to make a complaint or report this, you need to contact your local council which can be found here.

Planting or removing trees

You are not allowed to plant or remove trees without our permission.

The tree looks like it is having an impact on services

If a tree is having impact on the surroundings and affecting services such as phone lines, then we need to know about this so we can send one of our surveyors out to have a look.  

How do I report any issues or request permissions?

You can request permission to plant or remove trees and to let us know if the trees are impacting the surroundings by emailing us at enquries@futureshg.co.uk. Make sure you include what the issue is, your property information as well as any other properties affected or involved.

We will get back to you within five working days to make any necessary arrangements to come out and inspect the tree or your garden.