Neighbours fence

[yinyang]

Don't worry, this isn't another fight with neighbours about boundaries - yet! Just want to try to clarify a couple of things.
There's a row of ley landi ( sp?) between us and the neighbours, planted on our side of what I've always taken to be a small wire boundary fence. We keep them trimmed low so they don't block light and were thinking of getting rid of them anyway. They're very broad, probably between 5 - 6 feet.
Anyway, yesterday neighbours put up a new fence but they didn't trim back the trees or speak to us and I reckon their new fence is about 3 ft away from where the original fence is - in our favour!
So, if we do get rid of the trees our garden is going to substantially bigger down one side, and I would say that part of that strip technically belongs to next door; but do they have any comeback i.e can they reclaim their land if they've already gone ahead and built a fence where they want it?
Hope you've followed all that! Any advice appreciated.

[moonshadow]

It's highly unlikely they will want to move the fence now it's up. Why don't you call around and thank them for putting the fence up and tell them you intend chopping down the trees, they obviously didn't like them.Most neighbour ask for half the costs so you are very lucky. The boundary line will be registered in the deeds of your house and the Land Registry so unless this crops up when either of you sell there shouldn't be a problem. A good site to try regarding boundary problems is the forum on www.gardenlaw.co.uk. Life is too short to argue over a few feet of garden, it once cost my brother �6,000 in a court case over a 14" strip of land on the boundary. Bonkers!!

[yinyang]

Couldn't agree more, moonshadow - life is too short.
Thing is, if they'd come and spoken to us we would have removed the trees like we're planning and probably have gone halves on the fence with them so they've really cut their own throats.
I don't want a fight with them which I wondered if they could start kicking up a fuss later on.
Will have a look on that site. Thanks, moonshadow.

[sp1214]

A future owner next door may realise the boundary fence is incorrect and reinstate his own. Fences may be helpful in settling unclear boundaries but usually the house abutments will show the true story especially if a semi detached.

[landscaper2]

Well done for thinking of getting rid of the hedge - just hate them!! Agree with others, 'life's too short etc....'. I think that providing you can prove that the new fence (boundary line) has been in for 12 years unchallenged, you can claim the ground as yours. Now that would be fun in the future, wouldnt it?!

[yinyang]

Thanks for the answers.
The hedge came with the house, landscaper. I've always hated it , it's just such a big task to get it all up.
We don't want a fight but the neighbour might actually be the type to put up this fence himself and then complain that we've taken some of his land!
He's doing a lot of work to the house at the mo so I think we need to suss if he's planning to stay in it or trying to add value to sell it.