Neighbours trees on lines

[Lenny1981]

I have phone lines running across my garden which feeds 3 homes. My neighbours trees hang over into my garden and they are over hanging the lines and won't be long until they are touching them. Who is responsible for trimming them back? I have already approached my neighbour regarding his trees but he isn't forthcoming to discuss the issue and doesn't think is a problem. I've contacted the council to set up a mediation between us so everything is documented, should one of his trees damage property. 

[Keith_Beddoe]

@Lenny1981 

Welcome to this user forum for BT Retail phone and broadband customers.

This has nothing to do with BT Retail, as its Openreach that maintain the external network, but will only deal if there is reported fault, or if their network is causing a health or safety issue.

[caravanj]

@Lenny1981 

As @Keith_Beddoe has said it's beyond the remit of this forum, however, you're legally entitled to cut off any branches that overhang your property but you must throw them into your neighbour's garden as legally they belong to him.

If you get the council involved in mediation it will have an impact, potentially a serious one, if you come to sell your house as it will have to be declared as a neighbour dispute & your purchaser's solicitor will certainly flag it up to them.

My advice to you would be to do nothing at all & wait for the damage to occur to the phone lines & let Openreach deal with it.

[36ULW]

Council won’t care.

Neither will BT or Openreach until they’re actually causing a problem, aka fault in yours pr your neighbours service.

Even then Openreach will do nothing more than replace the cable, although they should put a tree guard on the cable when they replace it…

[Devon_Dave]

 "tree guard" that's new one on me. 

[36ULW]

Yeah, it’s basically a piece of plastic that’s wrapped round the drop wire to give it an extra layer of protection.

Pretty much the same thing you get to help with cable management round back of your desk.