Lilac Tree Problem

Hi

We have a lilac tree on the patio that has grown very well every year. However, last year our neighbour cut the tree back 3 feet + onto our land whilst we were away on holiday. This matter was then reported to the police as criminal damage.

This year the lilac has grown very little if at all. At the start of the season, one half of the tree started to grow leaves, but over the past few weeks they have now died back. We believe there may have been some foul play by the neighbour i.e., weed killer. Is the tree diseased or dead? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I’ve attached an images of the tree this time last year and 2 of how it looks now.

 

If it is weedkiller it would have been sprayed this year sometime looking at the dead leaves.

 

How did you get on with the police? Did they do anything? I know in Scotland you can prune a neighbour's tree back to the fenceline as long as you put the cut portions back over the fence, otherwise, it could be construed as theft.

 

In the second picture there doesn't appear to be very much actually in the neighbours garden.

 

There wasn’t any overhanging his garden. We had a company in to cut the tree after he cut it and made a mess of it last year. It hasn’t really grown since, but last year it was alive.

 

We reported the incident to the police, who issued us with an incident number. PCSOs came round the same day to have a look and agreed he’d really gone too far and said it could be classed as criminal damage. They then went round to see him, but he wasn’t in. The next day they went round again. I overheard them telling him on his driveway that he can’t do what he did and he admitted doing it. Unfortunately we have what’s known as ‘nuisance neighbours’ and this incident is just one of many

 

I think it was done this year as well because one half of the tree didn’t grow at all this year but the other did and had a lot of green leaves on it. The leaves have since died back. There is a blackcurrant bush next to the tree in a pot which has brown marks on the leaves, which I didn’t know if it was normal for this time of the year or if it had rust/fungal type disease?

The neighbour is a retired roofer and his garage is right next to the tree.

 

If it’s not a fungal disease, it must be weed killer or something similar, the tree has grown really well for years. As you say, unfortunately it’s difficult to prove that he’s done anything. I have considered contacting my house insurers as we have legal cover for nuisance neighbours. The fact that an incident reference number was issued for cutting the tree too far last year and him admitting it, may give me some cover as the tree has maybe died since?