Watch out for these five rules that could land you with £12,000 fine

Expert warns gardeners they could be landed with a £12,000 fine – if they ignore these five little-known rules

• Angela Slater of Hayes Garden World said there are strict rules to follow
• Must read:  Expert reveals the EXACT time of day to avoid doing gardening

Gardeners are being warned to watch out for the rules that could land them with a £12,000 fine. 

Angela Slater, of Hayes Garden World, in Ambleside, the Lake District, said there were strict rules that many people didn’t even know about. 

Some of these are about keeping your garden tidy and not overgrown, or not  having rubbish or fly-tipping in it. 

You should also be careful with loppers, as chopping off the branches of a neighbour’s tree can be a minefield.

You should also be careful to not let any branches become dangerous and potentially fall. 

This garden is beautiful but it’s easy to break rules if you do things that annoy your neighbours such as planting high hedges

Equally, you also need to be wary about building a garden shed – any bigger than 15 sq metres and they need planning permission. 

Here Angela reveals the five rules you need to know… 

1. Know the limits to your hedge

She said the main rule to follow is about the height of a fence or hedge.

Angela told The Sun: ‘The standard hedge and fence height that gives you enough privacy is usually a maximum of two metres.’

And she added that anything above two metres may be a nuisance and block sunlight from a neighbour’s garden. 

She added that if you wished to set up a fence, it was best to talk to your neighbours first.  

And she said if the fence was more than two metres tall, or one metre tall but next to a highway used by vehicles, you needed planning permission.

2. Trim your Japanese Knotweed   

Rule number two – which could lead to a £5, 000 fine – was letting invasive plants and noxious weeds grow out of control. 

Plants such as Japanese knotweed and giant hogweed need to be gotten rid of, as they cause massive ecological damage by causing extinction to other animals and plants.

Japanese knotweed specifically can create serious damage to drain pipework, and removing it can be difficult.

Although it is your responsibility to get them removed, it is best to contact professionals urgently. 

Angela said that no time should be wasted when it comes to these tricky plants. 

3. Don’t bury your pet

Rule number three was to not bury your pet in the garden without checking the rules. 

She said that while it is understandable to want to bury a pet in a garden, as it’s private and personal, you cannot do it if you rent somewhere as the grounds are not technically yours.   

Equally, you cannot bury your pet in public space, such as their favourite common, as this is illegal. 

She  advised if you were planning to bury a pet and a garden it should be at least three feet deep in light soil to safeguard against scavenges. It also shouldn’t be in contact with any water sources. 

An improperly-built pet burial could land a person a £5,000 fine.

4. Ban the hosepipe 

Another rule – and perhaps the most well-known – concerned hosepipes. 

Angela said that warmer weather naturally meant a higher demand for water which often lead to water restrictions in certain parts of the UK.

She explained: ‘In a bid to save water and avoid drought, water companies restrict unnecessary usage such as watering your garden, lawn, car or even having a water fight.’

Commonly known as a hosepipe ban she said if you were found to breach it  you could be fined up to £1,000 or even prosecuted in court.

5. Respect your neighbour’s privacy  

Finally, you must respect your neighbours’ right to privacy – as well as their right to sunlight.

Angela said that privacy is hugely important and deserved by everyone, so if you wanted to install plants, trees or a camera, they had to be done respectfully.

She said if neighbours did not like the height of your trees or hedge, they could apply to the council to have it cut.  

She explained that refusing officials onto your land was not an option as it could land you with a £1,000 fine. 

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