Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Elderly couple cut neighbours' fir tree in half

Elderly couple cut neighbours' fir tree in half

SOCIAL MEDIA has branded them as 'pettiest neighbours ever' after retired Irene and Graham Lee chopped their neighbour's fir tree in half in a boundary row.

The elderly neighbours chopped the 15ft fir tree outside their home in a south Yorkshire suburb last week and said they would "do it again".


Bharat Mistry, 56, a project manager and his family living next door are dismayed by their neighbour's action. He said they chopped the tree because pigeons were nesting there and spoiling their driveway with droppings.

Irene Lee, 75, shot back and told MailOnline: "The birds weren't really the problem, the tree was blocking our driveway.

"What you can see at the moment is a third of what the tree was - we had two thirds of it hanging over on our side.

"We got it professionally trimmed, afterwards the tree surgeon told me 'you know it's going to grow back?'

"If that's the case then I'll cut it again, especially if it grows out too much.

"The neighbours may own the tree but if it overhangs on our property then we are legally allowed to trim it back."

Irene and 77-year-old Graham have been living in their bungalow in Waterthorpe, a suburb of Sheffield, since the 1980s.

The Mistry family says when they moved in 1994, the fir was already there.

Both the families got on well for 30 years but last March Graham complained about the tree obstructing his car when he drove through the driveway.

Mistry claims to have told his neighbours numerous times that he would get the tree pruned when he got a quote from a local tree surgeon that was too high. He added that he was waiting for another quote when his neighbours took matter into their own hands.

Mistry told MailOnline: "I'd spoken to both Irene and Graham about trimming the tree back and I'd contacted a tree surgeon I've used in the past but he was charging me three times what he did before and it was too expensive.

"We'd had the tree trimmed back many times before to keep it above head height and allow Graham to drive his car onto the driveway without it being scratched.

"But they were angry at the noise and the mess the pigeons were making. I told them that they are wild birds and birds nest in trees.

"Graham used to hit the tree with a big stick to get rid of the birds and had even been putting bin liners over the branches to stop them from nesting in it. By the time the tree surgeon had finished he'd pulled out at least 20 rubbish sacks.

"He came round to cut the tree back last Friday just before the England-Scotland game. We just watched dumbfounded.

"Irene and Graham obviously didn't want to wait for me to arrange it and did it themselves but I don't think that tree will ever grow back properly.

"It's a shame we've been living here 28 years and that tree was here before we moved in. It could have only have been hanging over onto their property by about three foot."

Mistry said he and his wife Sangita have not spoken to their neighbours since.

He added: "We have never had any issues with them before this, we got on fine. Our children would play with their grandchildren when they were younger, we've always got on.

"Graham started complaining about the birds making noise, but my daughter sleeps in the front bedroom and she can't hear anything.

"He tried to say they have made a mess of his drive but he parks his car there and I haven't seen any evidence of that on his car.

"He used to bring the bins in for us, it's such a shame it has come to this."

More For You

tulip-siddiq-city-minister
Tulip Siddiq

Tulip Siddiq self-refers to ethics watchdog over property claims

TREASURY minister Tulip Siddiq has asked the prime minister's ethics watchdog to examine claims about her use of two London flats, amid growing questions about property arrangements linked to her family's connections in Bangladesh.

The minister, who oversees anti-corruption efforts in Britain's financial sector, has stepped back from a planned China visit to assist with the inquiry.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tibet-quake-Reuters

The earthquake, which struck Dingri County near the Nepal border, was recorded at a magnitude of 6.8 by the China Earthquake Networks Center. (Photo: Reuters)

Earthquake in Tibet kills 95, tremors felt in Nepal and India

AT LEAST 95 people were killed and many buildings collapsed after a powerful earthquake struck China's Tibet region on Tuesday, state media reported. The tremors were also felt in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu and parts of India.

Videos shared by state broadcaster CCTV showed buildings with walls torn apart and rubble strewn across the ground. Rescue workers were seen helping locals and providing thick blankets to keep them warm in freezing conditions.

Keep ReadingShow less
Islamophobia-iStock

Critics have raised concerns about the potential misuse of this definition. (Representational image: iStock)

Conservatives oppose proposed Islamophobia definition

THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY has called on prime minister Keir Starmer to abandon plans for an official definition of Islamophobia, warning it could undermine free speech and hinder actions against wrongdoing.

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick criticised the proposal, claiming that a "false label" of Islamophobia had obstructed investigations into child abuse grooming gangs involving men of Pakistani heritage.

Keep ReadingShow less
Musk

Musk had previously appeared to back Farage, including posing for a photograph with him last month. (Photo: Getty Images)

Musk says Farage should quit Reform leadership

ELON MUSK has called for Nigel Farage to step down as leader of the Reform UK party, marking a sudden withdrawal of support for the Brexit campaigner by the US billionaire.

"The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes," Musk said on his social media platform X on Sunday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer-Getty

Starmer also condemned the 'poison of the far-right,' referencing threats made against safeguarding minister Jess Phillips. (Photo: Getty Images)

Starmer criticises online 'misinformation' after Musk's criticism

KEIR STARMER on Monday criticised those "spreading lies and misinformation" online, following a series of attacks from Elon Musk over historical child rape crimes in northern England.

Speaking to reporters, Starmer said: "Those that are spreading lies and misinformation as far and as wide as possible, they’re not interested in victims, they’re interested in themselves."

Keep ReadingShow less