More neighbour problems :(

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JillA

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My Neighbour from Hell moved on about 2 years ago, but I think he warned the new residents against me, since in that 2 years neither he nor his partner have spoken to me even once. Fine by me - I learned my lesson from his predecessors who tried to steal half my drive and got Environmental Health to make me relocate my muck heap.
Now however I find he has sprayed herbicide on his garden and there has been spray drift of at least a foot into my side of the fence. It looks like Round Up or similar - total vegetation death.
Fortunately the field was empty of stock at the time but I can't let it pass - next time the horses might be poisoned. So I plan to take photographs and write to him - is this technically trespass? My letter will advise him that if it happens again I will take action for xxxxx. I also don't know what I will be left with when the vegetation has died off totally - bare earth? Should I be telling him I need him to re-seed the affected part? ANy experience of similar on grassland?
Many thanks
 
Don't suppose he has done it deliberately,would let it go. However I would speak to him politely and mention you would be concerned for your animals if it happened again.
 
I think it might be better, in the first instance, to be a bit less full on. A quick call round to his door, just explaining the situation, and how it could impact your horses. If there was a previous issue with these people, I would understand your desire to go in all guns blazing, but your plan seems a bit OTT if there is no dispute with them so far
 
As the others have said, he didn't do it deliberately, don't give him reason to think you are a troublesome neighbour, I personally would let it go.
 
I would pop round with a bottle of wine, and say hello, and kindly and politely explain what has happened. Round up is systemic, so it will track along the roots killing the weeds so it may just be that. Going in with a letter is OTT and will I have no doubt result in another neighbour from hell thread.
 
I spray Roundup regularly to keep our anti rabbit electric fence clear. I use a 5L handheld sprayer. Even on an apparently still day, spray drift often happens.

He may well have thought that he was spraying only his own land. I doubt that this was malicious, a friendly chat is probably the best way forward.

ETA If he has used Roundup, you will be left with bare earth. I think that you have to leave it for a few weeks before you can re seed the affected area.
 
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I would speak to him politely, give him one chance this time. He may not have known it went onto your land. I agree you can't let it go and need to stress to him the fact the horses could have been poisoned if they'd eaten it and you will now have to pay out for reseeding too. It may be that he thought since there's no horses in that field at the time that it didn't matter. He may apologise and never do it again. But if it happens again or you can't talk to him because he's being aggressive then I'd go with your plan to write to him.
 
Not a nice thing to happen, and you would think people would have more sense than to risk other peoples stock and land.

I use roundup and tumbleweed weed killer, and vegetation will grow back in time so you may not need to reseed.

I think a conversation first is the best way forward, you can ask what they used, how long does it say land can not be grazed for, and then explain your concerns about animals.

I would take photos in case of any future problems, just so you have your record, if it happened a second time I would take more formal action.
 
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Bosworth said:
I would pop round with a bottle of wine, and say hello, and kindly and politely explain what has happened. Round up is systemic, so it will track along the roots killing the weeds so it may just be that. Going in with a letter is OTT and will I have no doubt result in another neighbour from hell thread.
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Very much so. If you treat all your neighbours like this it is no wonder they don't like you.
 
Gloi said:
Very much so. If you treat all your neighbours like this it is no wonder they don't like you.
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I don't treat all my neighbours like this - I get on very well with the rest. But not to even respond to a "hello" when he is head and shoulders above his fence with me about 10ft away leads me to think he isn't going to be very amenable. His predecessor was a bully (I had to get the police to pay him a visit) so it has left me with a (possibly healthy) distrust of him. And as a woman on my own, I would rather they didn't think of me as a pushover.
 
If you're able to have a polite chat with him, it's worth mentioning that if he twists the spray nozzle to 'coarse', it is much easier to target a specific area than when it is set to 'fine'. I always do this if I'm in a sensitive area, and it cuts down drift a lot.
 
I have a neighbour like that. Perhaps we should club together, hire a hit man, and get a quantity discount!:D

I suspect it is just ignorance. Not many realise how potent Roundup is and how the spray can drift. Leave it for now and your chance will come when it is all smiles again and then you can quietly explain what Roundup can do. Oh, and giving a gay wave whenever they pass will annoy the hell out of them in the meantime!

My new neighbour widened a gateway onto my access road. But he did not line the gate post up with the old fence. I put in a new post and a few rails so the fence could be re-tensioned and got a bottle of wine and a cake for my trouble. The job was probably worth £150, so not really a fair exchange but he did try! The next was my offer to go in and spray his ragwort which is in danger of spreading to my land. He has since pointed out how kind he has been to allow me to do this! His young son was going to come over and ferret rabbits so I made a point of staying home so I could turn the electric fence off and show him the best holes. Of course, he did not turn up! He did promise to remove 13 pallets of surplus building materials and assorted rubbish lined up next to my road, but a year later it was still there. So I am now a total bar steward for informing the planning authorities that he was operating a builders' yard.:D

Sadly, these people do not understand how things work in the country and I think it is mostly ignorance. But the grape vine is pretty good and I have used that to send him a message that I am not best pleased. But I do get a lot of satisfaction seeing him spending hours splitting logs with an axe when the job could be done in five minutes with my log splitter on the tractor! When the ragwort comes into flower, he will be getting a visit from DEFRA. All comes to he who waits! Patience, JillA, your time will come!;D
 
Tough one, I have a similar problem, you cannot reason with someone who does not let you get a word in. I do agree with the others that an over spray could be due to lack in concentration or the wind. I would maybe electrify the area in front of this problem area so horses or stock cannot get to it.

Keep a record of any situation which is deliberate then you can have a case against them, in the mean time leave well alone and try concentrate on your animals.
 
Is it the case that any ongoing disputes with neighbours have to be declared at time of sale? Please correct me if I am wrong. I am just wondering if this previous bad blood between you and the original owner came up when they sold, and the original owners explained the issue away that you were a rather harmless nutter that is best ignored?

It would account for them ignoring you, seems very odd that from day one they have shunned you. I really feel they have been forewarned about you by the sellers. And I have to say, that your knee jerk reaction to this, very probably unintentional transgression on their part has just confirmed all they might have been told about YOU as a neighbour.

Completely OTT reaction on your part IMO. Why not actually take some of the conciliatory suggestions on here and at least attempt to live amicably with your neighbours?
 
I think this is a tricky one, having had a new neighbour try to steal three courses of stone off our dry stone wall to mend his own and then tell us he was doing us a favour mending our walls, I can see how you feel. Sister and I share our property, I think neighbour thought he could browbeat two women on their own. Sis explained to idiot neighbour that her partner (who doesn't live here) is a drystone waller.
 
He sprayed his garden. Not much you can do about that - other than to run electric fencing a meter or so in from the boundary.
 
MrsJingle said:
Is it the case that any ongoing disputes with neighbours have to be declared at time of sale? Please correct me if I am wrong. I am just wondering if this previous bad blood between you and the original owner came up when they sold, and the original owners explained the issue away that you were a rather harmless nutter that is best ignored?


Completely OTT reaction on your part IMO. Why not actually take some of the conciliatory suggestions on here and at least attempt to live amicably with your neighbours?
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yes you do have to declare disputes so they would be aware the police had been involved previously so are probably keeping their heads down, if you go in now all harsh letters and threatening action you will just confirm that you are the neighbour from hell rather than the previous residents! go round, introduce yourself and just drop in that whilst you are sure it was a complete accident with the overspray , could they please let you know if they are spraying on the boundary again so that you can take steps to make sure your horses can't reach the danger zone.
 
Two strikes rule ! Give him benefit of the doubt go speak to him face to face. If he is inexpereinced with spraying wind can blow your way I have seen this happen several times. If previous neighbour has warned him about you ? there could be building blocks which need removing and you never know he may be someone you could actaually get on with
 
It was probably accidental and he might not even realise what happened. Maybe just politely explain. If you take the attitude you seem to have now about it you will end up with problems where most likely there is no need.
 
JillA said:
Hmmm. Isn't it interesting that no-one seems to feel HE should be apologising to ME for damaging my property???
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Yes he should apologise, but first you need to let him know that he has caused damage, as others have said he may not realise.

Until you speak to him, and find out if it is accidental or not, you are not going to know.

Tackling people is not easy, and if you are on your own more difficult, but it is worth a face to face approach first, he might surprise you and apologise, if he does not then you can respond differently if it happens again.
 
JillA said:
Hmmm. Isn't it interesting that no-one seems to feel HE should be apologising to ME for damaging my property???
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Deep breathe and calm down. Do not create WW3 over a tiny incident that isn't worth falling out with a neighbour for.

He has probably heard from previous house owners that you are the psychotic neighbour from hell, hence why avoiding you and minding his own business. Do not confirm that preconception.

Pop over, be calm and friendly, say its not a problem this time but in future could be let you know when he is spraying so that you can fence off that area. Also worth finding out what chemicals he used - you might find you are fine. I certainly wouldn't make a fuss about reseeding.
 
Bosworth said:
I would pop round with a bottle of wine, and say hello, and kindly and politely explain what has happened. Round up is systemic, so it will track along the roots killing the weeds so it may just be that. Going in with a letter is OTT and will I have no doubt result in another neighbour from hell thread.
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This basically.

Know from experience that its all too easy to let feelings get high very quickly. Sometimes (sorry OP not what you want to hear!) its a case of six of one and half-a-dozen of the other. OK so you have had enough of "nightmare neighbours" and are therefore mebbe a bit quick to react, and who can blame you, but you never know this guy might just be a "good neighbour" if you make an attempt to get on his right side??? Are there kids at the house? Would they appreciate maybe being allowed to "pet the horsies"??? You get the idea. Just a thought.

If you can, I'd be inclined to walk the conciliatory path in the first instance. Neighbour probably sprayed totally not thinking, it doesn't TBH sound like it was deliberate.

PS sorry meant to say that we DO know what is like to have the original "neighbour from hell"........ so do sympathise. Which is why you may need to go that extra mile, at this early stage, to be conciliatory even though it might stick in the craw.
 
JillA said:
Hmmm. Isn't it interesting that no-one seems to feel HE should be apologising to ME for damaging my property???
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This is how neighbour disputes begin - over something petty which was most probably an accident, and they end up in a small claims court with the winner being your legal reps.

Be the bigger person - suck it up, be polite, explain the situation to the layperson who probably has absolutely no idea what has happened. I doubt he thinks you're a pushover single female, he is just most likely completely unaware of the issue - fighting fire with fire always causes more fire.
 
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