Start by working out whose tree it is, because that changes both what you can do and what it will cost you.
If it is your tree
Then the question is simply which operation solves the actual problem, and the answer is usually cheaper than people expect.
- Branches low over the lawn or path: a crown lift. Cheapest operation there is, and the longest-lasting — the tree does not respond to it with a flush of regrowth the way it does to a reduction.
- Branches over a shed, greenhouse or seating area: targeted pruning of those limbs. No need to touch the rest of the tree.
- Branches over the whole garden, all directions: a crown reduction. The honest answer, and the most expensive.
- Dead branches dropping: deadwooding, which most trees need every few years anyway.
If it is a neighbour's tree
You have a right in common law to cut back growth that crosses the boundary onto your land. It is worth knowing exactly how far that right goes, because it is narrower than most people assume.
| You may | You may not |
|---|---|
| Cut branches back to the boundary line | Cut beyond the boundary into their side |
| Cut roots that cross onto your land | Enter their garden without permission |
| Do it without asking permission | Destabilise or kill the tree |
| Do it at any time of year | Keep the cuttings without offering them back |
Two things people get wrong. First, the cuttings and any fruit on them technically belong to the tree's owner and should be offered back — in practice a conversation usually settles it, but tipping a trailer of branches over the fence is not the way to have that conversation.
Second, and more seriously: the right to cut to the boundary is not a right to do damage. Cutting so hard that the tree becomes unstable or dies can leave you liable, and on a conifer, cutting flush to the boundary very often means cutting into brown wood that will never green up — leaving a permanently bare face on your side, which helps nobody.
The protected tree trap
This one catches people out and it matters. If the tree has a Tree Preservation Order, or stands in Evesham's conservation area, the common law right to cut overhanging branches does not override the protection. You still need written consent from Wychavon District Council for a TPO tree, and six weeks' written notice for one in a conservation area — even for branches on your own side of the boundary.
Cutting a protected tree without that is a criminal offence, and "it was overhanging my garden" is not a defence. It is one phone call to check.
Roots
The same principle applies to roots crossing the boundary — you may cut them at the line — but with considerably more caution. Roots are what hold the tree up. Severing major structural roots on one side can make a tree unstable, and if it then fails, the question of who caused that becomes a real one.
For anything beyond small roots, it is worth having someone look before digging. This applies particularly where a driveway or extension is going in near a boundary tree.
The practical approach
- Work out whose tree it is, and whether it is protected, before anything else.
- If it is a neighbour's, talk to them first — most people are reasonable and a shared quote is cheaper for both.
- Describe the problem at ground level or roof level, not as a number of feet.
- Ask for the cheapest operation that actually solves it.
- Get the boundary work and any of your own tree work done in one visit.
Want your garden back?
Tell us where the branches are and what they're over. We'll tell you the cheapest work that fixes it.
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