Legal Scrumping

[Andy Hamilton]

I was having a debate with Dave, we have found a whole load of apple trees that are growing in someones garden some of the branches are growing over a public foot bridge. Can we legaly pick them? Or only collect windfall.

[Chickpea]

Don't quote me because IANAL but I thought the situation was that you can legally chop off branches of a neighbour's tree that os overhanging your own garden, but the branch belongs to the neighbour so you have to give it back to him. However if the branch falls off and lands in your garden then it is your problem. So I guess the same would apply with apples overhanging public land. You can pick them but you have to give them back, but if they drop off you can do what you want with them.

My favourite option would be to knock on the door and ask him if you can pick the apples. He might let you pick them from inside the garden too. The number of people with apple trees (and other top fruit) that never do anything with them breaks my heart.

We used to live next door to an empty house with an apple tree in the garden. For years we would bunk over the wall every year and scrump the Bramley apples. When some people moved into the house they gave us permission to pick the apples, but it was never as much fun after that.

[Shirley]

IANAL???? What's that Chickpea?

[Chickpea]

I Am Not A Lawyer

[Andy Hamilton]

I thought you were trying to say that you were anal as in a pedant.

Knocking on the door and offering cider in return is always a good deal I think.

[Shirley]

sounds like a good deal to me!!