A family whose lives are made a misery by a hedge taller than their two-storey home hope their plight will be resolved by new legislation.
The leylandii bushes next to Dawn and Alan Roberts’ Glenrothes home have grown so high they block the light to even the upstairs rooms.
The bedroom of their 11-year-old son Innes is so dark he refuses to sleep in it and is terrified of the numerous spiders that come in when the windows are open during the summer.
After years of fruitlessly begging their neighbour to trim the bushes, they now hope to obtain an order under the High Hedges Act requiring him to take action.
The couple, who also have a 13-year-old son Blair, are fed up living under the shadow of the hedge which they say has caused a damp problem and forced them to give up growing vegetables and simply enjoying their garden.
Mrs Roberts, a teacher, said: “My son refuses to sleep in his bedroom because it is so dark and prone to spiders and we now have damp in our bathroom because the wall never sees the light of day.
“Nothing grows in our garden six feet from the trees because the soil is so acidic.
“We have constantly asked our neighbours to maintain their hedge for the last seven years and the property has now been empty for a year.”
When Mrs Roberts and her family moved into their house nine years ago the trees were around eight feet tall. Now the trunks are around 60cm in diameter.
While the issue has not caused a row between the Roberts and their neighbour, who has moved out and is trying to sell his house in Larch Avenue, the family are frustrated by the lack of action.
Mrs Roberts said: “When I heard about this law coming in, I thought ‘brilliant’.”
She contacted The Courier for advice after reading about a couple in Giffordtown complaining about a 13-metre-high hedge.
Jim and Sheila Cameron had a notice granted against their neighbour but said it was not enough as the hedge would still be permitted to grow to 3.8 metres and the notice did not cover trees immediately behind.
Fife Council service manager Stuart Wilson advised that those seeking a notice request an application form by phoning the council or through its website.
He said: “Firstly, people need to establish whether the hedge is a hedge in terms of the act, which is two or more trees or shrubs reasonably in a line, and that they are greater than two metres in height, a barrier to light and affect the reasonable enjoyment of the property.”