Pensioner dies from heart attack after 'hedge argument'

A man aged 74 collapsed and died from a heart attack after an argument with a neighbour over a garden hedge.

A man aged 74 collapsed and died from a heart attack after an argument with a neighbour over a garden hedge.

The other man in the dispute, who is 63, was arrested by police on suspicion of manslaughter but released on bail pending further inquiries.

The dead man, Douglas Reed, a father of two and widower who lived in a semi-detached property in Louth, Lincolnshire, had a history of angina. A post-mortem examination concluded that he had died from natural causes. The investigation, which could take several weeks, is seeking to establish if the argument directly contributed to the his death.

Shortly before Mr Reed collapsed, he was said to have been cutting bushes at a friend's house several hundred metres from his home. The exact reason for the dispute has not been ascertained but local people in the picturesque market town, which is about 30 miles from Lincoln, said Mr Reed was a respected and well-liked member of the community and would be missed.

One man, who did not want to be named, said: "I've known him all my life and he kept himself to himself." He added: "We just heard he was cutting somebody's hedge at the bottom of the street when an argument started. The news spread like wildfire up the road." Another resident said: "Everybody looks after one another around here. It's just a shock."

Mr Reed died at about 2pm on Saturday after being taken to Louth County Hospital.

Although it is not known if the argument was a hedge dispute, Michael Jones, the president of Hedgeline, an action group that provides support to those in boundary disputes, said arguments about hedges, and in particular fast-growing leylandii, led to dangerous levels of stress.

He said: "Passions are roused with this sort of thing. Disputes over hedges can affect people's health, causing stresses and all kinds of tension."