Haringey hotspot for hedging hubbubs

Several of the borough’s neighbourhoods have ranked top for gardening disputes in London

credit Anton Nikolov via Unsplash — Photo by Anton Nikolov via Unsplash

Tottenham has topped a London list of official complaints from residents about neighbouring gardens – while several other parts of Haringey also poll highly for garden gripes.

Data obtained via the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act show the N17 postcode accounting for 12% of complaints in the capital, with 166 over the past year, while the N8 area, covering Hornsey and Crouch End, is second with 142.

The N22, N15 and N4 areas also appear in the top ten.

Local services marketplace Airtasker named London as the ‘UK’s garden gripe capital’, accounting for 1,333 complaints from frustrated residents, with ‘overgrown hedges’ named the most frequent complaint.

Graden expert Domenico Musceo said: “As a gardener based in London, over the past six years, we’ve noticed that overgrown hedges and neglected gardens are becoming more common. With tighter finances and less spare time, many people seem to let their gardens slide first when it comes to prioritising jobs around the home.

“In line with this research, we are finding that overgrown hedges are a huge issue. While we understand the pressures people are under, it’s worth noting that after just a year or two of no maintenance, they can become completely unmanageable – the branches themselves turn to thick wood, and it’s a real challenge to bring them back to their original state again.

“Ideally, hedges should be trimmed twice a year—once in the spring and once in autumn. But when gardens are left untended to, especially after the winter months, they become a real mess.

“In our day-to-day work, we see gardens that are overgrowing not just with hedges, but grass and weeds too – sometimes even filled with discarded furniture or rubbish.

“While every garden and job is different, restoring them can take anywhere from a few hours to several days depending on the state it’s in. It’s not just about time; it requires the right knowledge and tools to get it back to a good standard. If your garden has been left to overgrow significantly, getting an expert in is key to sorting it out properly once and for all.”

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