Couple urge Sheffield Council to trim tree ‘causing mayhem’

Rod and Lynn Moore who live at 3 Madehurst View, in Heeley, are at their wits end over a large tree on council-owned land outside their home.

Mr Moore said the council cut the tree back six years ago and refused to trim it since due to budget pressures.

In the meantime, stress has mounted for the residents who said it blocked light into their house, accelerated damage to their roof which needed to be replaced, shed debris which forced elderly neighbours to walk in the road, caused OpenReach to do more regular maintenance and created cracks in the pavement.

“It’s escalating,” Mr Moore said. “All we are asking is can you please cut it back like you did before?

“It’s causing more and more mayhem and we are just lost. We don’t want the tree cut down, we aren’t asking for that – we are only asking for it to be cut back to a reasonable level.

“We are fed up of sitting in a dull, dark and dingy kitchen.”

Mr Moore said the council reviews the tree every three years to see if it needs any work with the most recent inspection being earlier this year.

Councillor Douglas Johnson, Chair of Housing Policy Committee at Sheffield City Council, said: "Trees bring many benefits and pleasure to many people, as well as helping with biodiversity, water absorption and complementing our urban landscape.

"We do look at requests for trees to be pruned, but we have to prioritise our tree management budget for trees that have been identified as posing a safety risk to people or property or where either a legal or statutory duty exists.

"This tree is healthy and does not pose a safety risk. It is inspected every 3 years, and the next inspection is due in the autumn next year."

The authority receives 29 per cent less (£856 per resident) in government funding now compared to a decade ago which has forced it to make huge cuts to services.