A retired teacher has been forced to install netting on her property to catch falling leaves and bark after she was threatened with criminal action.
Lorraine Perro, 66, was visited by officers from Nottinghamshire Police after leaves were allegedly blown onto her neighbour's drive.
Both parties have now been handed Community Protection Warnings from police, despite Perro's claims that the leaves weren't even from her trees.
Homeowner claims leaves come from nearby park
The warning letter accused her of 'the allowing of garden materials from your garden to go on to your neighbour's drive'.
But Ms Perro, who lives in the village of Newthorpe, says the leaves come from trees from nearby parkland. Ms Perro told the Daily Mail the situation has caused her “major distress”.
She added: “We have a park area where the trees blow on to my drive and my neighbours' drives. But I'm told by the police that I am responsible.
“I asked why the police didn't give warnings to the squirrels and birds as well – the wind blows the leaves around.”
But police say warning wasn't about leaves
Nottinghamshire Police said that leaves blowing onto drives is not the reason why this community warning notice was issued, and that the documents were issued to the two people involved.
A spokesperson added: “It is vitally important that our resources are directed to those who need them and that we concentrate on serious crimes blighting our communities.
“Community protection warning notices are therefore designed to ensure that behaviour does not escalate and in this case was a last resort.”
However, despite their claim, it clearly states in the police warning that Ms Perro is required to: "take reasonable measures to make sure garden waste does not go onto your neighbour's property" "now and until further notice".
It also states that Ms Perro must not park her vehicle in a way that causes her neighbour any difficulty moving a vehicle off their driveway as well as not being allowed to have contact with her neighbour "by any means".
Is it illegal to let leaves blow onto neighbours' properties??
The Royal Horticultural Society says you cannot tell a neighbour to come over and sweep up the leaves from their overhanging tree.
It adds: “The owner of a tree is not obliged to clear up fallen leaves. The exception is if damage occurs as a result (e.g. blocked drains) in which case it is advisable to notify the tree owner in a letter.”
However, you are within your rights to trim or prune any part of that tree that hangs over your side of the property boundary.
A community protection notice or warning is intended to deal with unreasonable, ongoing problems or nuisances which negatively affect the community’s quality of life by targeting the person responsible. The notice can direct any individual over the age of 16, business or organisation responsible to stop causing the problem and it could also require the person responsible to take reasonable steps to ensure that it does not occur again.
Breach of any requirement in the notice, without reasonable excuse, would be a criminal offence, subject to a fine.
