£27,000 court bill for neighbour from hell who cut down hedge

A GARDENING enthusiast has been handed a £27,000 court bill and labelled a "neighbour from hell" after being sued for hacking down next-door's holly hedge.

Tersia Van Zyl and husband Stiaan were dragged to court after neighbour Peter WalkerSmith accused them of having the hedge that separated their gardens chopped down in April 2019 and replaced with a fence.

Mrs Van Zyl got contractors to chop the spiky hedge down to make her flower bed bigger, Central London County Court heard.

Dispute

But Mr Walker-Smith, 39, sued the couple, claiming they had no right to have the hedge torn up as it was not theirs.

Following a trial, Judge Alan Saggerson blasted their "spiteful" decision to cut the hedge down when they knew there was an ongoing dispute over who owned it.