Bonkers is better than malicious. 
The 30 year rule and other answers can be found here: Plantations (haies, arbres, arbustes...) | Service-Public.fr
Agreed, thanks
I have a similar issue with a neighbour who bought the house next door around 6 years ago. Two years ago when I was quite ill and undergoing cancer treatment, she rolled up at my door and announced that she did not like that my water and electricity supplies ran under her grounds and a small outhouse and would I have them all moved at my expense. I told her in no uncertain terms, that as they had been there for over 50 years and for the 20 years I have owned the house, without causing a single problem, if she wanted them moved, she would have to arrange it and pay for it herself, making sure it was done at a time that did not inconvenience me. I explained I was quite ill at that time and the last thing I needed was stress from a neighbour making wholly unreasonable demands. I have heard nothing at all since.
Wilson
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Ever thought of movng?
My husband restricts my home moving urges to minimum of 4 years. However, if I had one of the psycho neighbours I’m horrified to learn of in this thread, I’d be calling the removal company tomorrow. Some SF members have very commendable tolerance and patience. I am in awe.
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Quick update on the issues we are having - we have been expected an LRAR letter from the neighbour to start off proceedings for conciliation, and /or an LRAR from the conciliation service. Neither arrived then mid December we received a letter (via normal post) from the legal dept of her insurers to say that she is now complaining of loss of view from her window, and could we contact them to discuss and arrange a visit. We decided to see if the legal dept from our own insurers would respond on our behalf.
Shortly after that, and without discussion she attached tall wooden panels to the fence posts on our side, and in doing so by screwing through into the concrete has damaged 6 of the fence posts!
We have a RDV with the insurance agent this week!
If the fence is on your land and the neighbours have damaged it. If I were you I’d go to the gendarmerie and porter plainte , it’s criminal damage, and will be on record. That should calm her down a bit on the trespassing and damage front.
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Just to say that the letter from her legal insurers should have come to you via LRAR and if it goes to tribunal may be ruled as non existant, thats what happened in one of our tribunal processes with the other side not sending stuff officially that can be signed for - you can say you never received it, you see!
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Good point, thank you I have taken photographs.
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Interesting! I get the feeling that they may not be taking her seriously.
Thanks for your reply
Looks like your neighbour is busy availing themself of every free nuisance route available in France. I would suggest an alternative method, as has recently worked for us, that you visit an avocat, have them establish your legal right and send a letter from their cabinet to the neighbour outlining these rights and adding a cease and desist ‘request’. (I notice French legal teams word things beautifully politely where I might less so.)
In addition to Wozza’s advice to porte plainte at the Mairie, I would have added to the avocat’s letter notice that the neighbour removes and makes good any/all damages to your fence posts, made while trespassing onto your property.
We found that ~€1,000 spent for an avocat, after which the neighbour can only proceed by engaging their own avocat, is an expence that effectively ends the bullying. A quick and clean route to, hopefully lasting, peace of mind.
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Thank you, I will discuss this route with my husband.
To update this situation we gave all the information to our assurance juridique who arranged a RDV a couple of weeks ago.
Experts from both her and our insurers were present, and essentially told her that the tree has no impact on her at all, so she has no reason to complain unless branches start to overhang her garden. The fence panels she had put up had to be removed and the broken fence posts repaired or replaced, and if she wanted to re erect her fence panels she must put up her own posts at the correct distance from the boundary, which she has now done. To rub salt into the wounds they told her she must cut branches from her tree that overhang into our garden!
I’ll just wait to see what she comes up with next!
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That does sound positive Wendy - let’s hope it’s the end of it!
However as I’m sure you have in mind, some people are just natural complainers so maybe she’ll have a moan about moles invading her property from your garden next!
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Justice exists! Well done for persevering .
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I must admit to a feeling of shadenfreud!
I love that word, perhaps comeuppance is the nearest English equivalent, but either way very satisfying. 
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Schadenfreude - but we knew what you meant. 
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Chris,
@Wendy_Cooper-Wolfe
spelling is correct, in old Kentish dialect, it originated from a town called Sandwich, from the polder marshes (now called Polders Gardens) after Dutch settlers mixed in with the locals. 
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