Is It Illegal To Grow A Thorn Bush?

[renegadefm]

I'm just wondering is it illegal to have a thorn bush growing at the front of your property in a terrace house of four situation?

 

Last year I was taken to hospital in A&E because I stood on a thorn prickle that went straight through my trainer and about half inch into my foot.

I managed to rip it out, but I was in too much pain to drive, and the nurse that looked at the wound said I need to be careful and monitor it because it was a blackthorn and it can lead to sepsis, or a nasty infection. 

 

So she cleaned and dressed it, but I lost a week off work as I couldn't walk on it. 

 

I was wondering based on the pain and problems I faced, it made me think this could easily happen again to someone, especially as the blackthorn tree is right near a public pavement and where we get out of our car. In the dark it would be impossible to see thorn needles on the floor. 

Its an old lady that owns the thorn tree, and can you believe its us that pays a gardener £40 every year to cut it back, because we do it as we can see she is too old to do it, so we do it to minimise being injured again. But we shouldn't have to keep paying out to do that. 

 

Do I have grounds to contact the council and make my neighbour take it down? 

[ToraToraTora]

don't be ridiculous.

[pastafreak]

Have you nothing important to complain about? Don't dare go walking in the countryside. 

[Buenchico]

If a bush (of any type) is overgrowing a public footpath, the local authority can issue a notice requiring the owner to cut it back to the property's boundary (and with a clearance of 2.5 metres of headroom). If the work isn't carried out within 14 days, the local authority can carry it out and then bill the property owner for the work.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/66/section/154

Other than that though, there's no specific legislation relating to hedges alongside footpaths. 

However anyone who suffers loss or injury through the negligence of another person can demand compensation for such loss or injury and, if necessary, pursue such a claim in the county court.  In the circumstances that you describe (if a civil action was to be launched), it would be up to a judge to decide whether or not the property owner had been negligent in failing to consider the possibility of injury to the claimant when allowing the thorn bush to grow next to the footpath.

[renegadefm]

pastafreak, 

Did you not read my post in full?

This is not the countryside. Its right at the front of our house, and right next to where we get out of our car, as we turned our front garden into off road parking space. Most of the other houses around here have done that, except my elderly neighbour who likes her front to look like a jungle. 

I don't mind how her properly looks, but I don't fancy standing on another thorn and getting seriously ill or worse. 

 

 

[renegadefm]

Buenchico, 

Problem is its difficult to take an old lady to court, or sue for injury, especially as we do get on ok. 

Thats the whole reason we take pity on her to get the bush cut back ourselves and to minimise injury to my family. 

 

I might contact the Council to see what can be done. It doesn't seem right we should suffer, and pay £40 every year to get it cut back. 

[ToraToraTora]

There is not a thorn in Britain that will pierce a trainer. Even if there is, look where you are treading. Sounds like another of your wind up posts. Right that's all the nitpickers evenings tied up searching for a Samurai Thorn bush! PMSL!

[pastafreak]

A jungle...or a garden?

One could argue that turning it into a parking space it having a negative effect on wildlife.

[barry1010]

Blackthorn thorns are nasty, they can puncture tractor tyres and cause sepsis if they puncture the skin. I have no problem believing they can puncture a trainer and a foot.

Blackthorn hedges are used on farmland to keep sheep and cattle from straying and the police advise householders to grow them against fences to keep trespassers out.

You could discuss it with your neighbour and see if she would be willing to remove them.  If she has a dog or cat you could mention the possibility of them getting injured.

 

 

[Buenchico]

Quote:
"Anyone had a blackthorn foot injury?

Last Thursday evening I ran through some undergrowth at the edge of a bridleway to give a wide berth to a walker when I felt a pain like a nail had gone into my foot, which stopped me dead - so distracting I even forgot to stop my garmin! The offending thorn had penetrated so far through the sole of my shoe and into my foot that I had to wrench the shoe off with both hands to get it off, almost as if it had been nailed on."

Source:
https://forum.fellrunner.org.uk/showthread.php?24858-Blackthorns

[barry1010]

Not surprised by that, Buen. Lots of Blackthorn in the field at the back of my garden.

 

[calmck]

There are multiple postings about the dangers of being pricked by a blackthorn thorn. No laughing matter and should be treated immediately as can lead to sepsis and arthritis

[pastafreak]

I'll hold my hand up and admit that I'd never heard of blackthorn and, in particular, its dangers.

Though Google tells me it produces sloe berries...as in sloe gin? The Country file article I read made no mention of the dangers. Is there more than one type of blackthorn? 

[Old_Geezer]

I doubt it.

But try to be a better neighbour than some around here. If you have a boundry at the pavement ensure your garden foliage isn't pushing out ¾ of the way across that public pavement.

[barry1010]

Pasta, Blackthorn is also called sloe, in the same way hawthorn is called May or Mayflower 

[Tilly2]

Blackthorn are the first of the hedgerow plants to flower in Spring.

They produce beautiful, white flowers on their black branches.

 

[Prudie]

I was going to say, all this talk of blackthorn as though it was some rare alien devil bush.Blackthorn is Sloe and grows absolutely everywhere in country hedges. It's the first white blossom that covers the hedgerows in spring. The thorns don't drop like needles so highly unusual to step on one, especially not one in a position to go up through trainer.

[pastafreak]

Thanks Barry...prudie. 

I'm certainly familiar with hawthorn, as we lived in a semi-rural area. Also familiar with sloes...well as far as sloe gin. MIL made it every year 🍷. It doesn't sound massively dangerous now.

[Tilly2]

As a dog walker for the last forty five years, I have walked along many Blackthorn hedges. Neither me, nor my dogs, have ever been impaled by a Blackthorn thorn.

 

[calmck]

Google. First aid.co.uk dangers of blackthorn thorn

[Tilly2]

^ neither I, nor my dogs ^

🥵