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? 

[barry1010]

It's a problem for horses, too, blackthorn plant thorn synovitis.
 

[douglas9401]

Isn't Blackthorn tramp juice?

[Old_Geezer]

That's probably a core problem.

[Prudie]

That's it then, 1 in a million chance of a horse getting infected by one and similarly for a human to step on one. Rip out all the hedgerows and ban anyone from walking the countryside until all trace of blackthorn removed. For the production of sloes the plants should only be grown in controlled nureseries with high security fencing.

 

BTW you can probably google potential danger in absolutely anything that lives with us.

[Maydup]

If you get on well with the neighbour could you talk to her about it and suggest it's time to have the tree removed?

If you approach the council they will do the same and if they deem it excessive they will prune it and send her the bill.

I'm surprised at the number of people here who disbelieved you! A thorn through a trainer is painful.

[Prudie]

Maydup I don't think it's that people doesn't think it's the truth but you have to admit that imagining a thorn from a sloe bush being in the upright position and able to pierce through a trainer sole (which must be nearly an inch thick of hard rubber) and then go a further half inch into a foot when stood on is pretty hard to picture. Sloe thorns are not usually that long.

[237SJ]

Friend of mine was pricked by a blackthorn (helping on her family farm)  She was really ill after it and ended up on IV antibiotics for the cellulitis that it caused.  It's always a good idea to be careful around it.

[calmck]

But there is another not far behind, one that whitens the hedgerow and fills a warm morning with the delicious scent of almonds. Meet the blackthorn. This is a venomous beast at the best of times. The spines are poisonous, even during the winter when the tree is hibernating.

[Maydup]

For anyone not familiar with a Blackthorn twig with thorns.

https://www.superstock.com/asset/blackthorn-branch-flowers-spring-prunus-spinosa/4220-20088726

[renegadefm]

I promise you this is no joke or wind up story. 

The thorn I stood on was from a tiny piece of branch that breaks off the bush/tree each year in the winter period, so the thorn needle was sticking upwards.

So when I stood out of my car, I was in agony as the thorn went straight through my trainer and about half inch into my foot. 

So I was taken to A&E immediately, and the nurse said I'm lucky if this doesn't turn nasty as blackthorns are can cause sepsis.

 

I'm more worried this will just happen again, either to me or someone else. 

 

My garden by the way was converted into offroad parking about 25 years ago, long before my lovely neighbour tealed the thorn tree/bush. I converted the garden into parking to get my car off the main road, as one year I had one written off parked on the road.

Besides my so called front garden didn't have anything beneficial growing in it, it was mostly a miss mash of weeds and grass. 

 

I or we as a family have asked her nicely to get rid of it following my ordeal, but she just suggested trimming it back, but at our expense as she won't do it herself. 

 

I think if she had her way it would grow wild and out of control completely. It just shouldn't be there in our opinion. 

 

I could understand it better if she grew it in her back garden, but right where people walk etc its crazy to me. 

[Maydup]

In that case, I think it's time to contact the council.