Thanks Stella. My French is pretty good but the crib sheet sounds like a great idea. Of course we are not supposed to visit people at the moment!
Translate it to French with the appropriate “felicitations” top and tail and pop it in the mailbox…
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For the record, all of my current landowner neighbours are farmers ! I do my best to stay on the right side of them, because we never know when we might need a friendly tractor pull to get us out of the snow, or some such neighbourly helping hand, but I’m also the first to engage with them when things do go awry, e.g. cows escaping from a neighbouring field and trampling our garden…once, twice, maybe, but three times in a row is just too much ! It also helps that I have a temper like a bear and the physical looks to match, and they are all very much shorter than me 
of course… so if no-one ever comes there… maybe the hedge will grow back by the time they do 
Incidentally, in the meantime… check your plans to ensure that the hedge really was on your land.
who put up the wire fence…??? It might well be that the neighbours were cutting down a hedge which they felt was theirs to do with as they wished.
wire fences are notorious for “moving” over years/centuries… often it takes a géomètre to really put things in their proper place.
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Yes I could try this Graham. Thanks.
make sure you wash your hands thoroughly after you have touched their letterbox/gate/whatever… our postie takes great precautions… 
@Harriet_Devine it has worked well for us - even to the extent that the voisin replied to us in English!
Interesting thought. But the fence has been in place for at least the 20 plus years I have owned the house, so presumably was put there by the previous owner of the house next door, with whom we lived in total harmony for 15 years, or by the previous owner of my house who had died 12 years before we bought it, leaving the house empty.
Just to add - the people who did this are not actually the owners themselves, they are the parents of the owner, who lives in the bourg. They use his garden as an overflow veg plot.
Yes indeed
Good to know thanks Graham
Still reckon they think they have the right… since, otherwise, they have put themselves into a dodgy situation…
also, you waved and let them “get on with it” (as far as they are concerned)…
so tread very gently.
Incidentally, years do not matter (certainly here in my bit of rural France) … there is an ongoing battle which I know of… seems to go back generations… and is now, finally, about to erupt in a very public and costly battle. 
Thanks for the advice. Yes I will tread carefully, I think the first question to ask them is why they did it! Which has been puzzling us very much. If they think they have the right that certainly would explain it - though still not sure that they had the right to enter my property to cut it down to the roots.
I think you will find they do have the right to enter your property (come on your land) to deal with “their” hedge. … but, I thought it was only a string-wire … no wall or solid fence…
whatever… we can mull over this until the cows come home… fact is… you need to “talk” in writing or in words… or why not telephone them… ???
Well yes if they believe it’s their land I suppose they would have the right though it would seem normal to ask first. Hope to have some answers soon.
Normally when you buy a house it’s explained if the neighbour has a right to come onto your land to do work on their wall/ hedge but they should at least ask or tell you what they are doing.
The worst thing is the mairies don’t care and won’t do anything,
You don’t want to fall out with them or their son as you may end up with farm machinery or rubbish, who knows dumped in their garden or in front of your house.
You need to check where your barrier runs,
You need to talk to them or they will do it again and be tough because you get the I don’t understand, don’t speak English, so be firm .
At the end of the day they should pay for new bushes to plant.
I did know a guy with a holiday home who planted trees which were about 50 cm high and a metre from the border and whilst away the neighbour cut them off, they haven’t spoke since.
Thanks Barrie. This was certainly never explained to me when I bought the house! But I agree, I don’t need to fall out with them. As talking face to face is not allowed in our lockdown, I have written them a friendly but firm note asking them to explain why they did it. I put it in their mailbox yesterday afternoon - no response as yet but maybe they don’t check their box very often? Of course if it turns out that the barrier is in the wrong place they did have a right to do it, but possibly still not to enter my property without asking first.
If I get no response or an unsatisfactory answer I will try the Mairie - though unfortunately our lovely lady Maire, who was wonderfully supportive, has now retired as our village is now ruled over by the Maire of the nearest bigger town, who I don’t know at all and doubt if he’d care.
@ Harriet_Devine …
Harriet
glad you have dropped them a note… that’s the first step. hopefully light will be shed on the situation.
By the way, most people are decent folk, doing their best… be they French or any other nationality.
““our village is now ruled over by the Maire of the nearest bigger town, who I don’t know at all and doubt if he’d care.””
One may not know the Maire, personally, but he/she should at least be given a fair chance.
I think Harriet has been in France long enough to know that!!
I would have hoped so…
Yes Stella you are quite right! Thanks.
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