As Britain braces for temperatures that could hit 40C this week, with rare red weather warnings in place and the UK Health Security Agency issuing an uncommon red heat-health alert, many households are retreating to their gardens. But for those whose enjoyment of the outdoors is spoiled by a neighbour’s overgrown hedge, employment lawyer Daniel Barnett has a message: you may have legal options.
Barnett, speaking on his YouTube channel, outlined the conditions under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 that must be met before action can be taken. “There are four boxes to tick,” he said. “First, the hedge must be a barrier to light or access. Second, the hedge must be formed wholly or predominantly by a line of two or more evergreens, including trees, shrubs, and semi-evergreens. Third, it must be over two metres above ground level. Fourth, and finally, it must adversely affect your reasonable enjoyment of your home or garden because of its height.” If all four criteria are satisfied, residents can apply to their local council to issue a remedial notice requiring the neighbour to trim the hedge.
“UK braces for 40C heatwave as lawyer explains hedge rights, but Arctic 4C blast looms on July 4.”
The guidance comes as health authorities urge precautions. Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at the UK Health Security Agency, said: “It is vitally important that people understand the risk posed by high temperatures like these.” At Heathrow in west London, 31.8C has already been recorded, and the mercury is expected to climb higher.
But the scorching conditions may be short-lived. Fresh weather maps from WXCHARTS indicate a dramatic Arctic cold snap is set to arrive on July 4, just under a fortnight away. At 6am that day, temperatures could plunge to 4C in the Scottish Highlands, with single-digit lows across most of England and Wales. The Northwest and Northeast of England are expected to be the chilliest regions south of the border, with the mercury dropping to around 9C. Londoners and those along the south coast could face a nippy 12C. Even the warmer spots – East Anglia at 14C, the Southwest and northern Wales at 13C – will feel a world away from this week’s heat.
The Met Office forecast for June 17 to July 6 cautions of “changeable conditions” as “Atlantic lows move in from the west”, with spells of rain and cloud interspersed with drier periods. It notes that temperatures will remain “widely above average” but “likely cooler than the preceding few days” in the far southeast.