High Hedge Problems

Problem hedges continue to blight the lives of many people. In 2003, the Anti-Social Behaviour Act was amended to create new procedures (Part 8 of the Act) to enable local authorities in England (and Wales, though the situation in Wales is slightly different) to deal with complaints about high hedges. While a step forward, it has its flaws.

It is best if disputes can be settled between the parties concerned, but where negotiation fails, a complaint can be made to the local authority who can assess the case, acting as an independent third party. Unfortunately, councils will charge for this service and you (the 'victim') have to pay a fee just to make a complaint. Sounds unfair but that is the way it works. Fees are set locally and vary a great deal; some give discounts, others don't. So far there is no sign of any way to claim back the fee from the hedge owner either.

• It is not illegal (though in my view irresponsible) to plant leylandii.
• It is not illegal (again in my view irresponsible in the majority of cases) to have a hedge more than 2m high.

You can complain if:

• The hedge in question is a line of two or more evergreen or semi-evergreen trees or shrubs.
• That is over 2 metres high.
• The hedge acts to some degree as a barrier to light or access (the Act specifically excludes other issues such as problems caused by roots).
• Because of its height, it is adversely affecting the complainant's reasonable enjoyment of their domestic property (i.e. their home or garden).

The local authority will decide whether there is an adverse effect on the complainant. They may decide that despite an adverse effect, arguments in favour of retaining the hedge are stronger. If the complaint is upheld, they decide the action required to remedy the situation and to prevent it recurring, issuing a formal notice to the person responsible for the hedge - though this cannot involve removing the hedge or reducing its height below 2 m. The hedge owner is free to go further than the remedial notice requires. Both sides can appeal against a decision. Failure to comply is an offence; if convicted in a magistrates court, they could be fined.

The action decided on by the council may fall short of that desired due to a loophole in the wording of the Act, which prohibits requirement for removal. It is normally bad practice to cut trees back by more than one third in any year, and some people work on the assumption that the same is true for hedges, though this is not necessarily true. A government statement gave the view that legal advice was that ordering work that might result in the death of the hedge would be the same as ordering its removal, which is prohibited under the Act.

As my sources (listed below) are now several years old, it is best to check your local council website and to also search the Internet for further information, especially the Hedgeline website http://www.hedgeline.org/.

On a personal note I suffered this situation for several years before the Act was extended. The original neighbour planted a row of leylandii (far too close to the boundary so they always hung over the fence separating our gardens) but kept them trimmed to about 2m. The next owners let them grow but when they were blocking the light from the back of our house did allow us to pay for them to be trimmed back. While the next two sets of owners trimmed them occasionally when we asked them to, they gradually crept higher. The current neighbours cut them down the week after they moved in, without us asking. Brilliant! I immediately sent them a Thank You card.

Feature in West Wilts Matters, October 2005
Webpage: Problem Hedges - the Anti-Social Behavious Act 2003. http://naturenet.net/trees/highhedges.html

Shoe Heel Height

Every woman has her own perfect heel height, depending on the structure of her feet. If you take this into account when buying shoes, you can improve overall foot comfort considerably.

The feet have 28 bones each. Where the foot connects to the leg, there is one bone called the talus. Between this and the lower leg bone is a natural recess known as the sinus tarsi, which allows ankle flexibility. The size of the sinus tarsi varies from person to person and determines how much your ankle can move - and your ideal heel height.

For women with a moderate sinus tarsi recess, a 1in or 2in heel is best but others need a 3in heel to elevate the foot into an arched position. A heel of up to 4½in is fine; anything more than that is bad for your posture as it makes your bottom jut out and overloads the toes and balls of the feet. These heels can be worn for short periods only, and are made for limos, not for walking. Wearing the right height of heel will help ensure you place your foot on the ground correctly  -  good old-fashioned 'heel, ball, toe' action.

How to measure your perfect heel height

• Take off your shoes, sit on a chair and extend one leg straight in front of you.
• Where would your heel touch the ground? With your leg stretched out in front of you and the knee supported, make an imaginary line from the heel to the ground.
• If your foot is at a right angle to your outstretched leg and does not dangle, you have a low ankle-joint axis and will be more comfortable in flat shoes than in high heels.
• If your foot points down, you need to measure the distance between the top of your big toe and an imaginary line from the bottom of your heel. This is the right heel height for you. Measure it against your favourite shoes  -  the ones you swear you are most comfortable in, no matter how high or low. It is almost guaranteed the heel will match it.

16 Jan. 2010: feature by Emma Supple in the Daily Mail - this includes diagrams: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1243726/They-neednt-flat--Our-guide-to-ideal-heel.html#ixzz3W3o680xO

Also featured in the blog Alterations Needed: http://www.alterationsneeded.com/2015/03/how-to-measure-your-ideal-heel-height.html

Headache Soothers

Some drug-free ways to soothe a headache.

• A drop of lavender essential oil rubbed into your temples, or a cold compress of peppermint or lavender on your forehead or the back of the neck can relieve a tension headache. A misture of lavender and peppermint is particularly effective, as lavender enhances the action of other oils when used in a blend. Lavender is sedative and peppermint is a stimulant. Since many commercial headache remedies combine a stimulant (usually caffeine) with an analgesic, this achieves a similar effect without synthetic drugs.
• For sinus headaches or those caused by mental fatigue, use cajuput, rosemary, eucalyptus or peppermint, which are all stimulants. An inhalation of lavender, peppermint, rosemary or eucalyptus from a tissue or a vapouriser can relieve the headache, combat the nasal infection and help clear the congestion that is causing it.
• Try acupressure: place your finger in the depression between your first and second toes and press firmly for 3 to 5 minutes.

Feature in Good Housekeeping September 2014

Air Source Heat Pumps

While solar panels are a popular choice to power and heat homes, another option is air source heat pumps (ASHPs). These can save on heating expenses and are more efficient than oil, gas and electric powered heating systems.

• Heat pumps are energy effcient making them carbon friendly.
• They work even when it is cold outside.
• They are compact and easy to install.
• They have very low noise levels.
• They can be connected to solar panels.
• They can be fitted to biomass systems.
• They can be fitted to traditional radiators.
• You don't need to be connected to the national grid.

One company offering heat pump systems is Panasonic www.panasonic-heating.com/

Newspaper advert 20 September 2014

Online Photograph Theft

Some people think (wrongly) that any image available on the Internet is fair game to be taken and used without permission and graphics packages can be used to remove watermarks. If you want to check if any of your photographs haven't been used by other people, try the following.

• In Google Images, click on the camera icon in the search box and either upload your photograph or link to a URL that points to it, and Google will attempt to find matches. It's actually very good at doing this, so a good place to start.
• Reverse image search engines are another option. Try TinEye at https://www.tineye.com/ or multi-service images search at http://www.iqdb.org/ or Yandex at http://images.yandex (in Russian but easy to work out). There is also a Firefox add-on 'Who stole my pictures' at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/who-stole-my-pictures/ which is excellent.

Phil Bradley in CILIP Update June 2014