Neighbour row erupts over a tree – and one action has sparked ‘WW3’

A woman has been left furious as she claims she woke up to find her neighbour cutting down a tree in her garden. She says she opened her curtains in the morning and saw the neighbour taking down branches with a saw.

The homeowner said the tree was planted ten years ago. She even accused her neighbour of leaving all of the mess on the ground after he had cut some of the tree.

The disgruntled homeowner shared a video on TikTok with the caption: “Guys what do you do if you wake up to your neighbour cutting down your tree you planted 10 years ago…without asking.”

She added: “Isn’t this illegal?” The video has accumulated 1.8million views and has sparked a lot of reaction from commenters.

One said: “This is literally a crime.” Another added: “Sue. That’s what I’d do.”

A third said: “I would call the police immediately.” Meanwhile, one commenter admitted: “I would cry, make sure you have plenty of pictures and videos.”

The poster then responded: “I am crying. I planted this cherry blossom tree from a baby ten years ago and it’s literally so beautiful in the spring.

“I’m literally fuming.” Before adding: “I’m so tempted to throw it back over the fence and start WW3.”

According to the RHS, someone who fells an entire tree without permission from an owner could be found to be trespassing. Consent should also be sought from the owner before works are undertaken.

It could also be considered criminal damage, one law firm has claimed.

But the RHS said a neighbour can trim overbearing branches – as long as they do not trespass. “It is also permissible to climb into the tree to undertake the work, again so long as it does not require going into the neighbour’s garden/land,” it added.