A grandad has been forced to fork out £300 and cut down his beloved hedge after a 'nosy neighbour' complained to the council.

Clive Patterson had been growing the impressive hedge since 1998 but said Wirral Council forced him to cut it down.

The 68-year-old said he was given 14 days' notice to tackle the ‘overgrown' hedge but claims its well within the 2ft guidelines.

The grandad-of-four spends £400 on landscaping the 7ft tall hedge each year, which he's been sculpting since 1998.

Clive, a former motor mechanic, has now trimmed the hedge back to branches over fears the council would take him to court.

He said: "The council told me if I hadn't sorted it in 14 days, they would do it themselves. I've done it as they'd only hack it to bits."

"There's a hedge nearby and you can get by it, so I'm not sure why it's been singled out. You could get past mine, it wasn't blocking anything."

"The pavement was clear to me, but the council said it was overgrown in a letter. I wrote to them and said if they had come and looked at the hedge. "

"My hedge gets cut twice a year at the price of £400. I never get any complaints, and I asked them for a written apology. "

"I said if the person who complained could knock on my door and I'd explain it, we could talk it out. Loads of people are saying it's a lovely house with a well-trimmed hedge. "

"It's been growing since 1998, over 27 years and I've never had a complaint. I'm going to hospital so I've decided to trim it. Someone said the council will come and do it, then just bill it you, which is why I thought I'd just give in."

Clive paid a landscaper £280 to cut the hedge back to bare branches after being threatened with council action.

He added: "People were saying they couldn't get the pram past it which is absurd. There's hedges further up the road which are really overgrown. The hedge next door is well overgrown. "

"It's upset me because I do look after the property, all because of some nosey neighbour. I think someone parked on the grass and they've been parked close, blocking the path. Then they've blamed me."

"They say you're allowed 2ft across, but I don't think it was even that. "

"The grass outside my hedge is now a muddy field because of cars parking on there, obstructing and destroying the grass. The council should be focusing on that."