Snow clearing dispute in Germany escalates into machete attack

A snow clearing operation in eastern Germany got out of hand when a violent argument broke out between two neighbours.

In the town of Rietz-Neuendorf, south-east of Berlin, a man was using a ride-on lawn tractor to clear snow when he allegedly struck a woman, according to police accounts of the incident on Thursday.

“This triggered an initial verbal altercation,” the police said. But the situation escalated, and the neighbours exchanged blows.

The man then grabbed a machete intended for gardening work and injured the woman’s arm. Her cut was treated in hospital.

Criminal investigators are now working to clarify exactly how the dispute escalated.