neighbour running wires on our side of wall

[pafty]

A new neighbour shares a wall at the end of our garden and the side of his.He has had some garden lights fitted and ran the cable so that it was hidden from him but he could see it. We complained and he has replaced the white cable with black cable but it is still on our side of the fence. He is obviously convinced that this is 'his wall' and he is allowed to do this.... but is he? I know that garden wall 'ownership' is a vexed question but even if it was his fence why should we have to look at wiring that is nicely hidden from him when it is for his light? Any ideas on the legal position here and or the best way to proceed. Thanks

[pafty]

PS meant to say (obviously) that 'it was hidden from him but WE could see it.'

Thanks again

[daffy654]

Probably not legal, but I would 'accidentally' sever the wires when digging to plant some shrubs.

[The Builder]

Mmmmmm..... everyone seems to claim ownership when they want to do something like this......... then disclaim ownership when it blows over.
Either way, it's simply discourteous. If you don't know who owns it, then I doubt if he does either. Not worth fighting over, Pafty. Just wait until he needs a "favour" :o(

[mrs_overall]

If you are on reasonable terms with your neighbour it would be silly to fall out with him over this issue.
As has been suggested, why not plant some shrubs?

[Baldric]

Just hope he doesn't want to put wall-lights in his lounge, you'll probably get the wiring in yours.

[daffy654]

Just had a thought, how did he manage to lay the wires on your side of the fence? Did he come onto your property to do so?

[The Builder]

............ actually ............ thinking about it ......... garden lighting is notifiable under Building Regs.......... unless carried out by a self-certifier (Part P).
I just hope he's done it properly at least :o(

[pdq1]

You really find out about your neighbours when they get up to tricks like these. You could sit quiet about fuming by his actions which could lead to depression, anxiety or heart problems or you could take the bull by the horns and confront him about it.

Our neighbour decided to lay a crazy pathing path but he wasn't happy with that but dug underneath the dividing fence to extend the width by another 3"
When confronted they act like scared rabbits.

[vulcan]

I've just had exterior wiring for my pond, fitted by a qualified electrician. He used armoured cable and laid it underground, shouldn't this be done the same way ?

[seadogg]

Use the wire to support a climbing or trailing plant.

[jomifl]

mmm... free electricity!

[pafty]

Many thanks for some excellent answers. I feel better already. I'm now wondering if bare cables should be run across the top of a fence like this. Aren't outdoor cables supposed to be buried or enclosed in a conduit pipe. Presumably this cable will deteriorate or could be gnawed through by a squirrel....or something like that. Could that be another issue? But, really, thanks for all the answers

[Tuvok]

Nice Jomifl!

[giveup]

If you were feeling mean, you could call Environmental Health for advice !!

[daffy654]

The wires could easily be chewed through if there is no protection for them ;)

[themas]

Do you know enough about electric cables to decide whether this is armoured cable? If it is not, then it is very likely that it contravenes the building regulations for outdoor wiring unless it is protected on a conduit of some kind. You could contact your Council Building Control Dept. & ask them. They might then come to inspect it & take action if it does not conform. However, this depends to some extent on how much you value your relationship with this neighbour.