KINGSMEAD residents have been warned they face legal repercussions if they take the parish council’s work into their own hands.

Chris Reed, Kingsmead Parish Council chairman, said the council is becoming ‘increasing concerned’ about residents cutting shrubbery on council-owned land.

He accused residents of choosing to ‘ignore the laws of trespass and criminal damage on parish land’.

Cllr Reed said if the council feels that ‘severe and unnecessary’ damage has been caused to parish property without contact or authorisation, then it will take steps, including court action, to recover the cost of having to clean up and repair the damage.

Cllr Reed said: “The law regarding the cutting of overhanging plants etc is quite clear.

“Residents may cut back to the property boundary anything that is overhanging, but cutting past the boundary becomes trespass and criminal damage.

“Any cuttings must be offered back to the owner which in this case is the parish council and not dumped over the boundary.

“In all cases all that is required is a call to the parish clerk to inform us of a possible problem and we will investigate and, if required, do the work at no cost to the resident.

“Any money spent on these cases comes from the Parish Council budget that all residents contribute to through their Council Tax precept.

“This means that other planned, important work may not be possible – your money is being wasted.

“So far this financial year, we have had to deal with four such cases, with one currently in the hands of our solicitors.

“This is an expensive course of action but completely necessary given the scale of the damage and disregard for parish land.”