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La Voie Bleue: European Cycle Route of the Year is in France
700km bike path linking Luxembourg and Lyon has been crowned winner of the 2026 title
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Before and after: Garonne river floods in south-west France
Satellite images show extent of flooding from back-to-back storms in February
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Home insurance increases expected in France after floods
Compensation costs for the recent storms and flooding across the west and south-west is estimated to be in the billions of euros
Who owns fallen tree branches?
We have a number of large oak trees around the perimeter of our property. In recent storms some of the branches fell into the grounds of our neighbour’s property. Can we have them back (for firewood) or does our neighbour now have the right to keep them? C.E.
Honorary avocat Gérard Barron from Boulogne-sur-Mer said the branches overhanging a property continue to belong to the owner of the tree (although the neighbour has certain rights to cut them back) but once they have dropped they belong to the owner of the property on which they have fallen, so no, you cannot claim them.
He added that to recover the fallen branches, you would have to enter the neighbour’s property, which would be trespassing (intrusion illicite).
