‘SOONER OR LATER, TREE WAS GOING TO HURT OR KILL SOMEONE’
Tenant wins three-year fight for eucalyptus to be removed
TENANT Kevin Johnson has won his three-year fight for a 60ft tree to be felled in his front garden – after a ‘big branch’ dented his car.
The 55-year-old – who lives with his mum Vera – feared the eucalyptus could even fall onto the house or injure someone.
He says he had been trying to get Aspire Housing to fell the tree for three years – without success.
But Aspire finally carried out the work on Thursday.
Seventy-six-year-old Vera has lived in the property on Moorland Road, in Mow Cop, for more than 40 years.
Kevin said: “During heavy winds and storms, I’ve had two branches come down and damage my Peugeot 207.
“Aspire say they will not pay out and want me to pay for the repairs with my own insurance. But I am not claiming on my insurance because it is not my fault and I’ve been trying to sort this issue out for so long.
“It dented my car roof. It was the last big storm in February.
“It was a really big branch that at first was blowing in the wind, and the next thing it came straight down on the roof of my car.
“It made me feel very annoyed because the matter has been raised with them for three years and nothing had been done about it.
ne branch had already been removed from the tree before it was finally felled this week.
Kevin added: “I had felt like getting a tree surgeon in myself and sending Aspire the bill.
“I wanted the tree down and out because sooner or later it was going to fall on an Aspire house or injure or kill somebody.
“I felt disappointed and let down. My mum was worried in case it took the front of the house off in the wind. We’re wide open in Mow Cop so the wind comes from everywhere.”
Aspire says the tree was ‘healthy’ and classed as ‘low risk’.
Head of asset management Paul Hare said: “In the interest of environmental health and local wildlife preservation, we would always try to avoid the unnecessary removal of healthy trees in our communities whenever possible.
“While the tree in question had been professionally assessed to be healthy and at low risk to its surroundings, we agreed on this occasion to remove the tree due to its size and position.
“We have been working with Mr Johnson to facilitate the removal process, which began last month but had to stop due to dangerous weather.
“The restart of the work has now continued and the tree has been safely removed.”