LEAFY PROBLEM: Lush vegetation at the Winner household in Holland Park

Food critic and film director Michael Winner has confirmed a recent tiff with his neighbours in Holland Park. He phoned the The Daily Mail from his holiday base in the South of France to tell them he had refused to prune a tree putting James Murdoch’s garden in the shade. He said: "He and another neighbour asked if their tree surgeon could do it from my side.

 "I said no and suggested they put up a scaffold and do it on their side, dividing the cost between them. The neighbour said they couldn’t afford it and I was incredulous. We are talking about £20 million houses here."

Mr Murdoch is not exactly short of a few bob either, the boss of News Corporation's UK arm, recently refused a six million US dollars (£3.7 million) bonus in the wake of the phone hacking scandal. The son of Rupert Murdoch was due to receive the bonus as part of a 17.9 million US dollars (£11.1 million) pay package for the year ending June 30. But he said he would not accept the bonus "in light of the current controversy surrounding News of the World", the Sunday tabloid which closed in the wake of the scandal.

He added: "While the financial and operating performance metrics on which the bonus decision was based are not associated with this matter, I feel that declining the bonus is the right thing to do. I will consult with the compensation committee in the future about whether any bonus may be appropriate at a later date."

Murdoch junior is executive chairman of News International, News Corp's UK newspaper business, and deputy chief operating officer of News Corp. His bonus was due to boost his pay package by 74% to 17.9 million US dollars. Even without the bonus, his compensation will rise 16% to 11.9 million US dollars (£7.3 million).

But not to worry they might soon have a more agreeable neighbour as the landlord at number 31 has recently put his home on the market for £60m.