How long has his driveway been laid and who by?

I think he would complain more if it was cut down because the ground water previously absorbed by the tree would hold round the roots and surrounding ground creating a boggy area which would cause sinking.

How much did he cut off the tree?

Avensis is quite a big car. Are the bits of his drive that are sinking where his wheels are when parked? If so, point that out.

Q/A from a newspaper: www.telegraph.co.uk/property/pro ... house.html

Q/A from a newspaper: www.telegraph.co.uk/property/pro ... house.html

I think it's dubious, but what you must do is immediately contact your household insurers as your policy should cover you for any liability to people claiming you have caused them loss. They would handle the whole thing and they would not want you to stick your oar in at all in case you prejudice their position. So get straight on to them and follow their advice.

You could also get a [url=http://www.savatree.com/freeconsultation.htmlfree consultation by a local Certified Arborist[/url just for your own information.

Been laid since before I lived there, but no idea quite how long. Our house is about 16 years old, but was built before his, so somewhere between 9 and 16 years. Would assume by Persimmon.

Cut off a couple of decent sized boughs and the branches attached. He did it exactly in line with the fence. I didn't realise it was overhanging quite as much as it was, but the ironic thing is the gardener was due to come and trim it the next week, so if he'd consulted me I would have told him. The gardener ended up with just the front one to do.

Not had a chance to see it without a car there yet.

I'm currently waiting to hear back from the council, apparently they might come and assess it, or point me in the direction of someone who will. The link seems to be for the US.

I thought I'd contact home insurance depending on what the council say. Unfortunate timing, we switched providers last month, don't want it to look bad.

Buy a wood burner, cut it down

I had subsidence due to my neighbor silver birch tree ,made a right mess of the Kitchen, dining room walls, floor & driveway .

Which LA are we talking, could well be a TPO in place for the full site....

Part of what the council are getting back to me on. The girl on the phone said it didn't look like there was, but need someone from the environmental department to confirm for definite. It's Castle Grange on the back of Noddle Hill.

Did he have the house surveyed before he bought it? The Surveyor should have noticed and made him aware of any problems.

I had to cut down a 20 year old silver birch. The roots were quite shallow and they began extending out just under the surface of the pavement at the front of the garden. This had the effect of pushing the tarmac upwards. It was the guy who cuts the lawn next door who pointed it out and after a few enquiries I found out that I was indeed responsible for any damage.

Don't know, but he's lived there about 3-4 years & only just brought it up this year.



He's said nothing about roots coming through & I haven't seen any, neither on his or my side of the fence. I honestly think it's just an attempt to get me to get rid of the tree because he doesn't like it being there.



Council never called back within 48 hours like they said they would, will have to call them back myself tomorrow.

If you have to cut it down, be sure to plant another one in its place - mess with his mind for the next twenty years.

You don't have to do anything until he provides conclusive evidence that it is your tree that is causing the problem.

If there is indeed a preservation order, I might have to even if they let me/tell me to cut it down.

That's what I'm really hoping for (and obviously that he then can't do so).

By the way, thanks everyone for the replies.

Your trees where there long before he moved in correct?

He must have viewed the house and seen the trees, its his own stupid fault, he should have looked into the matter himself in more depth instead of then coming round and moaning that there is a problem, like the people who move next to a church and complain that the bells are loud, if you dont like it dont move there.

Correct. And you echo quite a bit of my thoughts on the matter. Another thing he's bugged me with is complaining about how much of a mess the sap makes on his cars when they have 3 and a garage they don't use to house any of them. When I pointed out the invention of the car cover, his response was 'Why should I have to buy one of those?'

Torch his car, you'll be alleviating his concern.

Tell him your tree is suffering as a result of his polluting vehicles. I assume your tree is used by birds? Point these things out. Post a copy of Lovelock's Revenge of Gaia through his letterbox and tell him to stuff his cars where the sun doesn't shine!

He sounds like a bit of a numb-nuts anyway, just tell him your birch tree is an aspirin tree, you're growing it for medicinal reasons and after the predicted great aspirin shortage of 2014 if he needs a hangover cure then he'll have to ask you nicely before you hand over some bark tea.

When he looks totally baffled, show him this article ... [urlhttp://www.homeremedycentral.com/en/herbal-remedies/herb/white-birch-bark.html[/url

Murder him, pull his teeth out, feed him to the pigs, hope whoever he left his house to in the will is a tree hugger.