Neighbour slices tree in half in dispute over noisy birdsong
A 16ft fir tree has become ‘a local tourist attraction’ after the ‘petty’ argument between families
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Your support makes all the difference.What would drive a person to slice their neighbour’s tree in half to prevent even a single leaf hanging over their driveway?
That question has baffled social media users since a photograph of a 16 foot fir tree with half its foliage neatly shaved off was shared online.
The answer, according to the family that “pleaded” for the tree to be left alone, is a year-long “petty” dispute over birdsong.
Bharat Mistry, 56, said that his neighbours Graham and Irene Lee, both in their 70s, called in tree surgeons after complaining that birds nesting in the tree were too noisy and making a mess of their car.
Mr Mistry added that the tree, which had stood for 25 years without incident in their quiet cul-de-sac in Waterthorpe, Sheffield, has now become something of a “tourist attraction” as well as a viral meme.
“We’d trimmed [it] into a ball shape with agreement with the neighbour and he has been fine about it. But recently there have been birds in the tree, which you would expect at this time of year,” Mr Mistry said.
“He started off by putting black bin liners in the tree to stop the birds sitting there.
“Last weekend he said he was going to get a tree surgeon to cut it down and we asked him not to but they came on Friday and did it.”
Mr Mistry added that his family “pleaded” with the neighbours not to go through with it.
“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?”
Mr Mistry says that the tree’s lowest branches had already been cut off in an attempt to appease the Lees and that he offered to put a net in the tree to stop birds getting in, but “there was no compromise with them”.
He also says he hasn’t spoken to the couple since, despite having a good relationship before lockdown in March last year, when complaints about the tree started.
Now the tree has become something of a local tourist attraction.
“We’ve had a lot of people walking past to look at it, people you can just tell have come out of their way to walk their dog on a different route to have a look,” Mr Mistry said.
“People have stopped to take pictures, there has been a lot posted on social media.
“You think we’d probably do the same if it was another house, but it does feel a bit like an invasion of privacy.”
Mr and Mrs Lee are yet to comment publicly on the dispute.
Additional reporting by agencies
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