Council acts quickly to fell tree after fears raised over safety

Fife Council has felled a dangerous tree in St Andrews after safety concerns were highlighted by The Courier.

Part of the 35ft tree in Lamond Drive had already crushed a car during Storm Ali and there were fears it could cause another accident.

Resident Ken Reid spoke out on Monday after cheating death when the storm hit last month.

He had just left his car parked outside when a large part of the tree toppled on to his vehicle.

Mr Reid was unhurt but his car suffered £1,600 worth of damage.

The tree was next to a bus stop and Mr Reid feared for the safety of school pupils waiting there.

The day after raising the matter, a squad of tree surgeons turned up to chop the specimen down.

Mr Reid said: “Good to see that the council were true to their word and had a squad here this morning.”

Council area officer Brian Taylor said during Storm Ali the council had “literally thousands” of reports of damaged trees across Fife.

He said over the October holiday, teams would be prioritising urgent cases within school grounds.

“We take the situation very seriously and currently have three teams of arborists working nights and weekends as well as two teams of contractors in to help the clear up operation,” said Mr Taylor.

Mr Reid’s wife Iona, 73, who has lived in Lamond Drive since she was born, said she could remember the tree being planted.

She said: “Saplings were planted for the Queen’s coronation in 1953.”

Among the many trees damaged during Storm Ali was the familiar chestnut tree in the grounds of Madras College in South Street.

It is believed the tree lay just outside the footprint of Blackfriars, the Dominican friary which once stood on the site. Remains of the friary can still be seen outside the school.

Scotland’s east coast was battered by winds of up to 102mph during the storm, which caused travel disruption.

The tree being taken down.