They became famous all over the world: a married couple sawed their neighbor's favorite tree in half because of a quarrel (4 photos)

The iconic 4.8m spruce, sawed in half by an angry couple four years ago, still attracts hundreds of people to a quiet cul-de-sac in Waterthorpe, Sheffield, UK.





Four years ago, Irene and Graham Lee called in workers to cut back all the branches of their neighbour Bharat Mistry, 56, who was hanging over their property. The incident was sparked by a year-long row over bird droppings that nested in the lush canopy and were "ruining" the Lee family's driveway.

A team of specialists left a "perfect vertical cut", dividing the tree exactly in half: one side was left green, the other was practically bald. A photo of the "half-tree", anonymously sent to Jeremy Vine's Channel 5 chat show, immediately went viral on social media and made headlines in foreign newspapers.



Despite the passage of years, curious tourists continue to flock to Waterthorpe. Locals say passersby stop, take photos and joke that the unique plant resembles a "botanical exhibit." One Google reviewer called it "a symbol of the eternal conflict between nature and human pettiness."

"The bald half looks like it went through a bitter divorce and lost custody of the leaves," one commenter wrote.





The Lis themselves have refused to publicly comment on the incident. Neighbors say relations between the families are still strained. Bharat Mistry recalled that watching the "beloved tree" being cut down was excruciating, and acknowledged the neighbors' right to trim the overhanging branches, but wondered why they had decided to do so after 25 years.

Real estate agents also use the tree as a landmark when selling properties in the area. "The house next to the half-tree" has become a stable definition of the address in the city. According to locals, the unique tree has already entered the list of unofficial city landmarks, and removing it would mean "erasing the local legend."



Tree care experts note that after such a radical pruning, the conifer still tries to grow new shoots on the "bald" side. For now, the tree remains a living reminder that domestic conflicts can extend far beyond arguments about a clean driveway.