Parks and open spaces

We inspect and maintain council owned trees:

on streets
in parks and open spaces
in cemeteries

We inspect our trees periodically to make sure they're safe and in a healthy condition. Our programme for inspections varies according to the age of the trees, the condition, the location and species. We pollard London plane trees on a three year rolling programme, and we don't pollard all of these which are reported to us.

Sometimes we remove trees to redevelop an area, or clear parts of our parks and woodland to make way for new species.

Trees on private land

Trees in gardens or on other private land are the responsibility of the owner. If a tree in a neighbouring property is causing you problems, you should speak to the owner about this.

Branches overhanging your property

You have a right to prune any overhanging branches from council or privately owned trees back to the boundary of your property, unless it's a protected tree or you live in a conservation area.

You're responsible for disposing of the pruning waste properly, either in your green garden waste bin or at a household waste recycling centre.

Tree Preservation Orders and conservation areas

You need our permission to remove or prune a tree if it's a protected tree or you live in a conservation area.

If you've applied for planning permission and are intending to remove any trees as part of the project, you'll need to check with us first to find out if they're protected.

Find out more on our Tree Preservation Orders webpage.

Report a tree problem

You can use our online form to report a problem with a council owned tree in a street, park or open space, which is:

causing damage to your property
blocking a street light or sign

We don't deal with reports about:

falling leaves or debris, such as fruit, aphids or honeydew
branches overhanging your land
trees touching overhead wires (contact Openreach).
trees causing poor TV reception (you should think about how any nearby trees may grow when you're putting up your aerial or satellite dish)
trees blocking light into your home or garden

Report a problem with a tree

Report a fallen tree or branch

Call 999 if a fallen tree or branch may be a potential risk to someone's safety. You should also call 999 if a vehicle's collided with a tree and people have been injured.

Call our 24-hour emergency helpline on 01226 773555 if a fallen tree or branch is causing a dangerous obstruction on a road or pavement.

If the fallen tree or branch isn't an emergency, use our online form to report this.

After making your report

Before starting any work on a tree between March and October, we'll check it to avoid disturbing any nesting birds. For some trees with dense crowns, we'll only work on these in winter after the nesting season has ended.

Call 01226 773555 or