How do I report a blocked public walkway?

[Piggywinkle]

The estate where I live is a fairly new build estate, and like a lot of these estates, there aren't any through roads so it's helpful that there are one or two alleyways to use when walking to the shops. However, the main alleyway everyone uses is between a private property and a doctor's surgery. The private property has a privet hedge as the boundary between it and the walkway. However, the property is vacant and has been on the market for about 4-5 months. The privet hedge, which I assume the owner used to cut when he was resident, has now grown out of control and is about 9 feet high and has blocked the public walkway. For a couple of months I just walked and dodged the hedge but, as you can see from the pic below, there is a lamp post at the end which has now made this part pretty much impassible.

I rang up my local council to tell them but they told me they couldn't do anything as it was a private property. Surely this isn't right is it? I know that a lot of the elderly people on our estate rely on this alleyway to access the doctor's surgery so I'd really like to do something about it but I don't know where to start. Any advice?

Pic for info;
https://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/gg517/Piggywinkle/SC20120817-153943-1.jpg

 

[Abz1982]

The council. You do have a right I believe to just cut it your self - if you could be arsed. lol

 

[Piggywinkle]

I thought so, I must have encountered someone at the council who couldn't be arsed. And as an ex-council worker, that wouldn't be a huge shock

As for cutting it myself, I would need to carry strimmers, ladders and other arboreal equipment to the other side of my estate so..... maybe not

 

[supertabby]

It should be the council's job imo.... the law states that you are legally entitled to cut the branches of trees etc that overhang your property so long as you only cut the overhanging ones. They're overhanging onto council property so logic follows they can do something. Maybe try ringing again and seeing if you get through to a different person.

Failing that, you could try ringing the estate agent selling the property. Or it would make a good story for the local paper.