'Pettiest neighbours ever' continue war three years after tree slicing

Still a SAW point! ‘Pettiest neighbours ever’ have three year war over overhanging Fir Tree that is sliced right down the middle

• Locals say two couples are still at war over the slicing of an overhanging Fir Tree 
• Bharat Mistry and his family were ‘gutted’ when his neighbours had the tree cut
• Graham and Irene Lee complained birds in the tree were making too much noise
• The couples reportedly have not patched things up in the since the 2021 dispute

The ‘pettiest neighbours ever’ are still at war three years after a row that saw one side of a Fir Tree chopped in half, locals told MailOnline. 

Bharat Mistry and his family were ‘gutted’ when his next door neighbours called in tree surgeons in summer 2021 to cut half the branches of the 16foot tall Fir Tree that had stood on his Waterthorpe property for 25 years.

The drastic action came after a year-long dispute between Mr Mistry and his neighbours Graham and Irene Lee, both in their 70s, in the leafy Sheffield suburb.

But neighbours on their street last week said the two couples, who had previously been friendly with each other, have not patched things up in the three years since their falling out.

Pictured in January this year: The ‘pettiest neighbours ever’ are still at war three years after a row that saw one side of a Fir Tree chopped in half. 

Bharat Mistry and his family were ‘gutted’ when his next door neighbours called in tree surgeons in summer 2021 to cut half the branches of the 16foot tall Fir Tree that had stood on his Waterthorpe property for 25 years. The tree is pictured in 2021

Mr Ministry previously alleged that Mr and Mrs Lee had complained birds in the tree were making too much noise and making a mess of the drive of his bungalow in Brier Close – a quiet cul-de-sac where houses sell for between £160,000 and £220,000.

Mr Lee reportedly then hired a tree surgeon to cut half of the tree down.

Pictures of the sliced tree went viral in 2021 after it was anonymously sent into Jeremy Vine’s Channel 5 TV show and was made into memes on social media.

It was even turned into a tourist attraction by locals who would visit the street just to see the tree.

‘The tree used to be normal but then they had a disagreement,’ one local woman, who wished to be anonymous, said last Thursday.

‘Which is why it was later cut down. I don’t know what it was about, but they couldn’t resolve it.’

Her husband, who also asked not to be named, added: ‘I think they were friendly before though.’

The tree remains cut in half, but it is not known if it has been trimmed again or if the branches have not grown back.

However, the Lees previously threatened to cut it down again if it did grow back.

The drastic action came after a year-long dispute between Mr Mistry and his neighbours Graham and Irene Lee, both in their 70s, in the leafy Sheffield suburb. The chopped tree is pictured in June 2021

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Mr Ministry was not at home when MailOnline approached the family on Thursday.

His wife Singita declined to comment on the matter.

But speaking in 2021, he said: ‘We were absolutely distraught. 

‘We pleaded and pleaded with them not to do it, but their mind was made up.

‘That tree was coming down. I believe he has the right to cut down anything that is overhanging onto his property.

‘But you have to ask, why after 25 years would you do that? It must have been no more than 3feet onto his land.

‘It is above head height, the bottom of the branches start at about 8feet high and we have cut off the branches lower down to be amiable with them.

‘He can get his car on and off the drive with no issues.

‘We had asked if we could get it trimmed back and put a net in it so it would stop birds getting in, but there was no compromise with them.’

Bharat Ministry (left) was not at home when MailOnline approached the family on Thursday and his wife Singita (right) declined to comment on the matter. But speaking in 2021, he said: ‘We were absolutely distraught. We pleaded and pleaded with them not to do it, but their mind was made up’

Mr and Mrs Lee also declined to comment when approached by MailOnline last week.  Irene Lee (pictured in June 2021) previously said: ‘The neighbours may own the tree but if it overhangs on our property then we are legally allowed to trim it back.’

Mr and Mrs Lee also declined to comment when approached by MailOnline last week, but defiant Irene previously said: ‘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.’

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