Yes, but only the parts that grow over onto your side, cut back to the boundary from your own side. You need their permission to go onto their land, the cuttings belong to them so offer them back, and you mustn't damage the hedge. On leylandii, never cut into the brown wood, because it won't grow back.
What you're allowed to do
- Cut what crosses onto your side. You can trim branches that cross into your property from a neighbour's, but only up to the boundary. Go further and they could take you to court for damaging their property. (GOV.UK)
- Stay on your side. You don't need permission to cut the overhang, as long as you do it without going onto their land. If you need access to their land, you need their permission. (RHS)
- Offer the cuttings back. Legally the cuttings belong to the hedge owner, so check they're happy for you to throw them away. If they don't want them, getting rid of them is down to you. (Citizens Advice, RHS)
- Don't damage it. The RHS says damaging a neighbour's tree by pruning can count as negligence, so take reasonable care and get professional advice for anything more than minor work. (RHS)
- Check it isn't protected. Trees with a tree preservation order, or in a conservation area, need consent from the council first. (RHS)
- Check for nests. It's an offence to intentionally damage or destroy a wild bird's nest while it's in use or being built. Our hedge cutting season guide has the full rules.
The brown wood rule matters even more on a neighbour's hedge
Leylandii only regrows from green. The RHS says new growth will not appear from bare wood, and that hedges should not be cut into older, leafless growth. (RHS, Leyland cypress pruning) On a big leylandii the green can be a thin layer on the outside, with brown wood behind it. So if the boundary line sits behind the green, cutting right back to it can leave your neighbour with a bare brown face that won't green up again, and that's exactly the kind of damage that starts a row.
We've seen what happens when a leylandii goes too far into the brown. An owner cut his own front hedge into the brown and got us back in to tidy it up, and on a leylandii that isn't coming back any time soon.
Before you cut, do this
- Talk to them. Tell them what you want to cut and ask about the cuttings. Make a note of what you agreed.
- Find the green line. Work out how far you can come back on your side before you hit brown wood, and stop there even if the boundary is further in.
- Check for nests between March and August, and leave any section with an active nest.
- Be honest about the height. A 20 foot leylandii needs proper kit, like a cherry picker. That's not a stepladder job.
If it's simply too tall
You can't cut the top of their hedge without their agreement, but in Wales you can complain to the council under Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 if it's a line of two or more mostly evergreen or semi-evergreen trees or shrubs over 2 metres tall that affects your enjoyment of your home or garden. You must try to sort it out with your neighbour first. Carmarthenshire Council's form says the fee is £320, the most a council in Wales can charge. (Carmarthenshire high hedges form, Welsh Government) The council can tell the owner what to do and by when, but it can't make them remove the hedge or cut it below 2 metres. (section 69)
A real one: next door told us not to cut it
This was a 20 foot leylandii in Burry Port. Her nephew used to cut it for her, but not anymore, so she got us in. There was no room for a cherry picker and the ladders were useless on the uneven ground, so it had to be cut from inside the hedge while Callum did the sides, with a dead trimmer and a beehive in the ivy to keep things interesting.
Then next door told us we weren't allowed to cut it. It was our customer's hedge, so it was hers to have cut, but it shows how strongly people feel about a boundary hedge. Either way the rule was the same: we only took the green off, never into the brown, because leylandii won't grow back from bare wood. It took about 3 hours. I quoted £300 and she got me down to £250 by keeping the waste.
A 20ft leylandii in Burry Port. Next door said don’t cut it. We only took the green off, never into the brown.
This is general information about the law in Wales, not legal advice. If you're in a dispute, speak to Citizens Advice or a solicitor.
Sources: GOV.UK, high hedges, trees and boundaries; Citizens Advice Wales, disagreeing about a tree or hedge; RHS, trees and the law; RHS, Leyland cypress pruning guide; Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003, Part 8; section 69; Welsh Government, high hedges; Carmarthenshire high hedges complaint form; Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, section 1.
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