Trimmed: David Alvand's trees as they look now. Fellow residents have branded them an 'eyesore'After months of wrangling, residents thought the end of the dispute was near.
Armed with ladder and hedge clippers, David Alvand decided that Wednesday night was the time to chop down his monster 35ft leylandii trees.
However the 66-year-old had a different idea of what constituted a trim from the rest of his neighbours in Plymouth, Devon.
Bushy: The trees towered 35ft over Mr Alvand's property and blocked out sunlight for other residents.He stopped after trimming just a few of the lower branches and left the cuttings piled up outside his home
Now according to residents of the street, the trees look even worse, and his half-hearted attempt has caused further outrage
Victimised: David Alvand have accused his neighbours of ganging up on him, and says he has caused no troubleResidents of the street, who have already complained to Plymouth City Council regarding the trees, say they hoped he would have trimmed them back further.
Michael Jennes, who lives opposite, said the trees were still as tall as they had ever been and branded Alvand a 'disgrace'.
He said: 'They have been there for 20 years now and I think it's a disgrace. This is a start but the only thing that would make it better is if he took it all down.'
Another resident, who did not want to be named, said the trees were a 'horrible eyesore' and now looked even worse.
She added: 'We saw him come out and start trimming, but he has stopped well short in my opinion. It looks a real mess - even worse than before.
'Those trees are a horrible eyesore. I think someone needs to get him a bigger ladder so he can reach the top.'
Residents have accused Alvand of allowing the trees to grow so big in revenge after a council forced him to knock down a garden wall.
He was nearly jailed in 2003 after he built the 12ft concrete defense around his back garden without planning permission, which neighbours dubbed the 'Berlin Wall'.
They waged a 12 year legal battle to force him to take it down and the row was nearly taken to the European Court of Human Rights.
The legal dispute cost the local council £20,000 but it eventually won and he was forced to rip the wall down. Alvand, a civil engineer, pulled the wall down in 2004 after he was found guilty of breaking planning laws.
Complaints: Residents of the streets hoped Mr Alvand would chop the trees back furtherBut in the meantime the trees - planted when he moved in in 1991 - have since grown above the roof of the house.
Alvand said: 'I do not want to talk about this. This is my land and they are my trees.
'I have caused no trouble. I am being victimised by my neighbours because they do not like me.'
A council spokesman said Alvand had returned forms stating his case for keeping the trees and an investigation was underway.
source: dailymail
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