Dominic Bareham A Bradwell man says he rarely sees the sun because of 40ft-high leylandii in a neighbour's garden.Andrew Ellis, of Beccles Road, has lodged a formal complaint with Great Yarmouth Borough Council.

Dominic Bareham

A Bradwell man says he rarely sees the sun because of 40ft-high leylandii in a neighbour's garden.

Andrew Ellis, of Beccles Road, has lodged a formal complaint with Great Yarmouth Borough Council.

The root of Mr Ellis' complaint is that his garden is shrouded in darkness during the winter when the sun is lower in the sky and he wants the giant hedge to be cropped so he can enjoy his garden, and so his plants and grass can get some light.

But neighbour Tony Lloyd, of Clover Way, said the trees, which had stood in his garden for 24 years, were not the only foliage surrounding his neighbour's garden blocking the sun and blamed some of Mr Ellis' own trees at the end of his garden for reducing the light coming in.

He said he had no objection to the trees being cropped and believed Mr Ellis was going to make arrangements for the work to be carried out after he visited Mr Lloyd's house to discuss the situation two years ago. The work was costed out at £600 but, although Mr Ellis offered to pay half, the hedge owner would not match it.

Mr Lloyd was also concerned about debris falling on to his lawn and causing damage while the trees were being cut back and he wanted to preserve his hedge as a haven for wildlife including pigeons, hedgehogs and squirrels.

He did not hear anymore about the issue until he received a letter from the council three weeks ago to inform him the situation was being investigated and asking him to fill in forms giving his side of the story.

He said: “As far as I am concerned, it has not been a very friendly attitude on their part, but I am still hopeful that we can settle this amicably.”

Mr Ellis said: “We are following the correct legal processes to get this matter resolved.”

Dean Minns, the council's development control service manager, said: “We have received a complaint under the High Hedges legislation. The council's next step will be to visit the site to assess the situation. Our findings will then be communicated to the resident who brought the matter to our notice and the owner of the land on which the trees are standing.”